Shadowplay, Part I - The Coming of Shadows
by Dylan P. Blacquiere
Summary: An ancient evil returns, and the world is slowly being changed into a place of darkness and shadow. Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington and Angela, fulfilling a nine-hundred year old prophecy, are called to stop the subversion. But how?


Shadowplay, Part I A "Gargoyles" Fan Fiction Story by Dylan P. Blacquiere (whitbourne@hotmail.com)  
  
Story #1 Description: The prophesied return of an ancient evil threatens to subvert the world, leading Brooklyn, Broadway, Angela and Lexington on a desperate quest to gather the fragments of the only artifact capable of rebanishing the dark threat.  
  
Part I - The Coming of Shadows  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: With some exceptions, none of the characters used in the story are mine. "Gargoyles" characters belong to Walt Disney/Buena Vista Television. This is an unofficial story, not sanctioned in any way by Disney. Also, I have decided that in this, and in every future story, I am ignoring the existence of any episodes after "Hunter's Moon, Part Three", for the most part. Not because I don't like them, because that's not true, but because they and my universe conflict so badly that letting anything besides the first two seasons exist would make my stories unintelligible in terms of my plotline. Finally, this story contains limited mature subject matter (violence), so read at your own volition. However, reader discretion is advised.  
  
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally written in the late spring of 1996, just after the second season of "Gargoyles" ended. I often look back on this story, written as a fifteen year old kid who was just getting his feet wet in the world of fiction writing, and chuckle a bit at the dated references and the somewhat clumsy techniques. But you know what? As a start, it ain't too bad. I've made a few edits to dialogue to clarify a few things, but the story is here, pretty much as originally posted, warts and all. Please, enjoy this story. The Newfoundlanders will show up soon. I promise.  
  
HISTORIAN'S NOTE: This story begins the night after "Hunter's Moon, Part Three".  
  
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ****************************************************************  
  
BROOKLYN: "So, when do we get our world tour?" (Turf)  
  
GOLIATH: (voice over) "Previously, on Gargoyles..."  
  
PUCK: "My Lord.please reconsider!" OBERON: "Pathetic." (The Gathering, Part Two)  
  
XANATOS: "No catches, no tricks, no strings." (Show Castle Wyvern) "The least I can do is reinstate them into their ancestral home." (Hunter's Moon, Part Three)  
  
ELISA: "You know how I feel about you." (Show Brooklyn becoming excited about Maggie, "Kingdom"; Broadway and Angela embracing, "Possession"; and the Trio fighting over Angela, "Turf") GOLIATH: "How we both feel...yes..." "Hunter's Moon, Part Three"  
  
TRAVIS MARSHALL: "The NYPD has assembled a special task force to deal with the gargoyles." "Hunter's Moon, Part Three"  
  
ODIN: "I have also regained the beauties of this fair island." (Show Avalon, "Avalon, Part Two") "The Gathering, Part One"  
  
GOLIATH: "They are shapeshifters. Creatures of pure magic." "The Mirror"  
  
BROOKLYN: "And so, it begins. Gargoyles, chapter two." "Hunter's Moon, Part Three"  
  
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ****************************************************************  
  
Prologue - Fall From Grace  
  
Avalon, 992 a.d. (Real Time)  
  
Oberon smiled with tainted amusement at the fight progressing in the audience hall. On the one hand, such transgressions couldn't be tolerated. On the other, it was rather amusing to watch.  
  
In the hall, two of the Children were fighting, lashing their respective powers at each other. One of them, with the appearance of young male (and who resembles Puck, except for the yellow hair, Oberon thought.) was blasting energy bolts at the other, leaving burn marks on the walls. The other Child was simply a shadow, trying to envelop her foe in smothering folds of darkness.  
  
Puck, standing beside Oberon, smiled with a twisted grin. "You know, my Lord, personally, I'd bet my money on Ariel. He looks so much like a certain handsome young fey that I don't think he can lose."  
  
"Ariel may look like you, Puck," Oberon replied, suddenly becoming annoyed with the entire proceeding, "but that hardly means that he will emerge victorious. And it hardly excuses this behavior."  
  
He looked to Titania, who silently nodded. "ENOUGH!" he roared, standing up. Ariel and the shadow stopped dead in their tracks.  
  
"I do not find this amusing any longer. Ariel, Silhouette, come here," Oberon commanded. The two Children silently treaded up the steps of the dais, Silhouette coalescing into the human form of a dark skinned girl with black hair and black eyes. "Yes, my Lord Oberon?" the two stated nervously, in unison. "What is the meaning of this?" Oberon asked angrily. "Oberon expects more of his Children than to see them dispute over their petty grievances."  
  
"My Lord," Silhouette began, "this...imbecile began it! I had nothing to do with it!" "You had everything to do with it!" Ariel retorted, annoyed. "If you hadn't..."  
  
"ENOUGH!" Oberon shouted. "This is not the first time that we have had to speak to you. You have repeatedly showed disrespect for both Oberon and his decrees. The two of you need to learn humility. Before each other, and before us. Are we understood?" he ordered.  
  
"Yes, my Lord," the two fey gulped. "We have not decided what to do with you yet. In the meantime, the two of you are to remain in your respective chambers, until you are summoned. Are we understood?" Oberon repeated sternly.  
  
Ariel shot a withering glance at Silhouette. "Yes, Lord Oberon."  
  
"Yes, my Lord," Silhouette echoed with clenched teeth. "Good. The two of you are dismissed," Oberon finished. The two Children got up, and left...Ariel vanishing in a glimmer of light, Silhouette melting away into the dark.  
  
Titania watched them go, and turned to her husband. "I hope you take Ariel's quick temper into account when you decide on a punishment, my Lord," she cautioned.  
  
"If there is one thing that Oberon always exercises, my wife," Oberon replied, "it is fair judgement." At that Puck made an appraising smile, fortunately unnoticed by Oberon. The King of the Third Race looked back on the assembled masses in the Audience Hall. "Go about your business," he proclaimed. "And let there be no further causes for me to take action."  
  
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Instead of materializing in his room, Ariel chose to manifest himself in the castle's library. He felt more comfortable there than in the drab surroundings of his chambers. He never spent any time there anyway, so why should he now?  
  
Instead, he focused on his rage at Silhouette. "That...WITCH!" he yelled, at no one in particular. "How dare she try to tell Oberon that the fight was my fault!"  
  
In trouble again. This was becoming a regular occurrence between the two Children. Some little incident would trigger them off, and they would squabble, then fight. Puck would tease Ariel often, saying that the battles were so regular you could tell the time of day from them, but it was becoming increasingly apparent that Oberon found this no laughing matter. Most of the time, it was a very stupid thing which set the off, too, making the trouble worthless. What had it been this time? Ariel thought back. Ariel had been engrossed in conversation with the Banshee...well, it was a one sided conversation at best, since the Banshee despised him and wouldn't speak to him...but nonetheless, Ariel had been having fun needling her, when Silhouette had shown up. Silhouette had begun to accost him for tormenting the Banshee, while Ariel protested that since the Banshee wasn't paying any attention anyway, it didn't matter. The two had quibbled, and eventually, the shade had slapped him. Then the fight broke out. And the rest, as they say, was history.  
  
He sat down in one of the chairs, and sulked. He would be punished, now, more severely than usual...and Ariel hated being on the receiving end of someone's anger. Someone more powerful than he, anyway. And to top it all off, Silhouette would probably brown-nose to Oberon so much that she would get off scot-free, as usual. It simply wasn't fair. He sighed bitterly, and decided to feel sorry for himself a little bit more.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Silhouette, in the meantime, was having a much rougher time. "I hate that little troublemaker! I HATE him!" she hissed, floating around the room. She recorperated herself into a vaguely human form, and sat down. She couldn't stand the thought of being punished, and couldn't bear the thought of Ariel weaseling his way out of the consequences like he usually did. It just wasn't fair!  
  
Silhouette sighed miserably. She could only hope that Lord Oberon had enough time to simmer down before he decided on the appropriate punishment for her.  
  
However, Oberon had lately decided that his Children needed lessons in humility. So perhaps he would be pleased if she were to try to rectify the situation herself.  
  
So, if she apologized to Ariel (his fault or not), he would likely take into account the display of selfless humility, and go a little easier on her. Besides, she didn't have to actually be sincere, did she?  
  
She smiled. Things were looking a little bit better, now. Silhouette discorporated into her shadow form, and flowed out of the room.  
  
************************************************************************ Oberon paced through his chambers, trying to decide on an appropriate punishment for the two errant children. Alas, he couldn't decide.  
  
Titania approached, with a look of concern in her eyes. "Remember, my husband, that Ariel was most likely the instigator. Silhouette would not have purposely started something like that."  
  
"You are probably right, Titania," Oberon sighed. "Next to the Puck, Ariel is probably the least humble of the Children. However, I would not cast a blind eye at Silhouette's part in the altercation."  
  
"You would not be right to do that, my Lord, and it was not my intention to suggest that you do. But be aware that Silhouette is my servant, and I know that she is more likely the less guilty party."  
  
Oberon rubbed his chin. "I suppose. But this is not the first time I have had to mediate a conflict between them. They have continually shown me that they are incapable of humility towards each other. A lesson I believe all the Children should learn. I may have to make an example of them, my Lady."  
  
Oberon cut to the chase. "I would speak with them, now."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Ariel stared out the window, at the shores of Avalon, with a distinct hatred for Silhouette raging within him. The two always fought, and had been spoken to and punished repeatedly by Oberon. He suspected that Oberon was becoming dangerously annoyed with the both of them. This would undoubtedly be the straw that broke the camel's back. And he had no one to blame but Silhouette.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a wisp of wind behind him. He turned, and saw a shadowy form transform into Silhouette. Well, speak of the devil, Ariel thought. "What do you want?" he asked.  
  
"I...I wish to apologize," Silhouette replied, looking rather insincere.  
  
"How flattering. And you even look the part."  
  
"Look, don't start. I wanted to..."  
  
"You wanted to make it look like you'd learned your lesson, so Oberon wouldn't be as harsh on you. Well, I'm afraid, Sil, my dear, that you're not very convincing."  
  
Silhouette glared. "Well I'M afraid, Ariel, my dear, that I'm about to lose my patience."  
  
"Well, we CERTAINLY wouldn't want that, now, would we?"  
  
"I'm about ready to..."  
  
"To what? Wrap me in the dark, until I scream with fear? Or to run and tell Big Daddy Oberon that Ariel's picking on you again?"  
  
"And what about you? Are you going to lie and twist your way out of this mess too? With all this lecturing that Oberon's been giving us about the need to be humble, I'm surprised he doesn't mention you by name," Silhouette shot back.  
  
"THAT does it!" Ariel and Silhouette were about to blast each other again when Oberon materialized in the room. With a casual gesture, the two were locked in place by a magic neither of them could defend against.  
  
"Temper, temper," Oberon chided, with a sardonic tilt in his voice. "I warned you two not to give me any further grief. I have decided on your punishments. I believe I must make an example of the two of you...to show that such behavior will be tolerated no longer," Oberon waved again, and the two could move. Suddenly, Oberon crossed his arms, and the three fey were standing in the audience hall, Oberon on his throne, and the two transgressors before him, genuflecting.  
  
Oberon allowed them to stand, and began to speak, more to the assembled Children than to Ariel and Silhouette. "These two have time and again shown their inability to learn to become humble, as we have dictated all of the Children of Oberon should. They have repeatedly fought, and battled with each other, regardless of our warnings. As a result, we would make an example of these...to show that Oberon will not tolerate such infractions."  
  
He stood up, and strode towards Ariel. "You, Ariel, have shown arrogance towards this court before, when being sentenced. Do you have anything to say to us now?"  
  
Ariel swallowed, anticipating a severe punishment. "N-no, my Lord."  
  
Oberon flashed a wry smile. "Good," He returned to the throne. "The two of you shall be banished, into the human world, for a period of two hundred years. Perhaps among the humans, you will learn true humility. And Silhouette, you may no longer serve as Queen Titania's servant. Such a position does not befit you any longer. So speaks Oberon."  
  
Ariel simply sighed. Silhouette gaped. "Wha..." she began in confusion. She was banished? No longer Queen Titania's servant? She stared at Oberon in shock. "My...my Lord!" she cried. "Please, my Lord...one more chance?"  
  
Oberon laughed. "Silhouette, I have been giving you last chances for ages now. Perhaps it is time to face reality...that your incorrigible ways must finally be punished."  
  
Silhouette felt a tear. "But...two hundred years?"  
  
"Yes. Two hundred years. Perhaps that will be sufficient enough to teach you the lesson in humility you so desperately need." Silhouette felt her jaw tighten. She glanced at Ariel, looking very dour. Suddenly, the rage inside of Silhouette exploded. "YOU BASTARD!" she shrieked, and she blasted at Ariel with the full force of her power. Ariel was immediately engulfed in shadow, thrown backwards into the wall, and knocked to the floor. Hollow, muffled screams could be heard from within.  
  
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Oberon yelled. Silhouette's eyes flared midnight black, her anger sublimating onto the King of Avalon. Banish me, will you? she thought crazily, and she shot a blast of shadow at Oberon powerful enough to send him sprawling. Oberon crashed into his throne, but raised a hand. Silhouette's curtain of darkness was held back. Puck, sensing an opportunity for some brownie points, snapped his fingers. Silhouette, her concentration elsewhere, didn't see it coming. She was knocked back by Puck's blast, her shadows around Ariel and Oberon dissipating.  
  
Oberon slowly got up. The fire in his eyes was unmistakable. He was furious. Silhouette groggily got up, her head cleared of the battle rage. She looked up, and saw the twisted, insane rage of a madman in Oberon's expression. What have I done? Silhouette thought in horror, as she realized that Oberon's fury was directed at her.  
  
Oberon slowly walked to her. With a wave, she was lifted up five feet in the air. "You dare?" Oberon asked, in shock, anger and hate. "You dare to attack me? You dare to attack your Lord Oberon?" "I...I'm sorry..." Silhouette whispered, desperately. A bright, silvery ring suddenly materialized in Oberon's hand, and he glared at her with rage. "With this ring, I thee bind/Locked away for eternal time/Forbidden art thou to ever return/To a curtain of darkness, I thee spurn!" he shrieked. The ring began to glow, a savage, blinding color. Silhouette felt herself being drawn to the circle, and she was sure that if she entered it, she would be gone...destroyed... Oberon seemed to grow more infuriated. "You are eternally banished, Silhouette. Not only from Avalon, but also from the entire planet Earth. Banished to an endless darkness...a punishment that befits your character. Now, BEGONE!" he yelled. Silhouette seemed to contract. She dissipated into a shadow, and screamed.... and screamed...and screamed...  
  
Finally, with agonizing slowness, she passed into the center of the ring...and disappeared. The ring vanished as well, seemingly drawn into itself. Oberon stared at his empty hand, with a look of disdain on his face. "So speaks Oberon," he added, with an air of finality. He turned, and headed towards his chambers, leaving the stricken Children without a word.  
  
The Weird Sisters, who had been standing at the front of the dais silently during the entire spectacle, spoke up. "My Lord, we realize that the events of the past few minutes have been unusual," Selene began.  
  
"But your previous judgements still stand," Phoebe added.  
  
"So what would you have us do with this?" Luna finished, pointing at the near unconscious Ariel.  
  
"I care not for him," Oberon sighed, not turning back. "Leave him be. My previous judgement is hereby retracted. However..."  
  
Ariel whimpered from the floor "M...my Lord..."  
  
Oberon sighed again, feeling a rare, uncalled for, flare of pity. "Leave him."  
  
"As you wish, Lord Oberon."  
  
"We shall respect your decree."  
  
"Thy will shall be carried out."  
  
Oberon looked at the expressionless Sisters. "Good. I believe that is standard procedure."  
  
With that, Oberon retired, Titania following. Puck, with an uncharacteristic look of concern on his face, strode to Ariel. "Are you all right?" he asked.  
  
"I'm...I'm fine. What happened? What happened to Sil?" Puck raised an eyebrow.  
  
"She was banished. Gone, forevermore, amen," he sighed, looking relieved. "What?" Ariel blinked. "Banished?" "She had it coming to her, Ariel. She was a self-righteous twit. Too much like you-know-who, for you-know-who's tastes," Puck taunted, not daring to mention Oberon's name.  
  
"BANISHED? Oh my God." Ariel fretted, feeling a pang of regret. He hadn't meant to get her banished. He'd only wanted to see her get a comeuppance enough to knock her off her high and mighty pedestal. But banished? Ariel suddenly felt responsible, at least in part, for what had happened.  
  
"What? Don't tell me the great Ariel is feeling remorse? Well, well. Guilt. Last refuge of an incorrigible scoundrel. Look, don't worry about it. Oberon was good enough to let you off scot-free. I wouldn't be too disrespectful of the sentiment," Puck replied, his arms crossed.  
  
"Puck, I never wanted her banished."  
  
"It was her own fault! She blasted both you and Oberon with her shadow tricks. She got what she deserved. Oberon doesn't take to being attacked very lightly. Now, come on. I've got a nasty trick just waiting to be played on Grandmother."  
  
Ariel sighed. "No thanks, Puck. I'm not in the mood," Before Puck could say anything else, Ariel vanished. Puck groaned, and followed suit.  
  
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Titania kept up the smile just until the couple entered the chambers. Then, she flew into a rage. "What were you thinking?" she spat at her husband. Oberon flinched. Such an appraisal from Titania? "What do you mean, what was I thinking? Surely you saw how she attacked me!"  
  
Titania rolled her eyes, a far contrast from her usually patient nature. "The punishment hardly fits the crime, husband. Banishment to a realm of shadow for a moment of anger at an unjust punishment?  
  
"My decrees are not open for discussion, Titania," Oberon said darkly.  
  
"You know as well as I do that you were excessive. And recall, husband, that the place that you sent her to through the ring is where the shadows were banished millennia ago. That place contains the greatest danger that our race has ever faced, and you sent Silhouette there in a fit of anger without thinking it through first. Do you know what could happen to her?"  
  
Oberon sighed. "I no longer care. She made her bed, lady wife. I'm merely allowing her to lie in it."  
  
Titania fumed silently. "There is no sense in arguing with you."  
  
"There's also a danger in it as well. Don't think yourself immune from correction because of your relationship with me."  
  
Titania's face lost all expression. She regarded her husband coldly. "So be it. I withdraw my complaint," She muttered. She spun around, and stalked out of the chamber. Oberon sighed. Briefly, he felt a flare of regret for what he had done, since Titania wouldn't have objected if she hadn't truly felt the punishment was too severe. But no, too little, too late. Besides, it wasn't as if anything would go wrong, now, was it?  
  
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With a cry of anguish, Silhouette rematerialized, in an endless field of blackness. She glanced around, and desperately tried to see through the dark. To no avail, she called out for Oberon, for Titania, for Ariel, for anyone at all, but there was no reply.  
  
Suddenly, one solitary object appeared. The ring. The hateful ring. She tried to reach for it, but couldn't seem to get quite close enough. As she looked at it, the images shifted, and for one brief, fleeting instant, she could see the audience hall, could hear Oberon practically pardon Ariel.  
  
She wanted to cry. "I did no wrong! Please, let me free! PLEASE!" she called. But of course, no one could hear her.  
  
With a bitter sigh of dejection, she settled down to her solitary existence.and suddenly, she had the sneaking suspicion she wasn't so alone.  
  
She turned, and looked at the ring. The inside of the circle was simply black, now, the same absence of light as the rest of the limbo she was confined to. Then, Silhouette felt something creep across her mind. Gasping, she turned every which way, to find out where her unseen visitor was.  
  
Good. You can hear me. Now, perhaps, we may talk.  
  
Silhouette gasped. The voice was coming from inside her head. "Who are you?" Silhouette called.  
  
I have never used a name. I have never needed one. But I am the essence of this place. If you wish, you may call me the Forbidding, as that is what this place is and does; it forbids you from returning to Avalon or to the real world. An unjust punishment, I trust. the Forbidding replied.  
  
"It was unjust," Silhouette scowled, bitterly, grateful to have someone to speak with.  
  
What is your name, child?  
  
"Silhouette."  
  
It is my pleasure to meet you, Silhouette. I sense that you have great powers; together with my own abilities, we may be able to break free. It will take time, of course, but.  
  
"You're going to help me?" Silhouette asked, a wild hope rising within her.  
  
Of course. An unjust imprisonment must be escaped from as a matter of ethics. As well, he who banished you must be made to pay for what he's done. What if I were to tell you a way to do just that?  
  
Silhouette did not speak right away. "Go on," she said, after letting the Forbidding's words sink in.  
  
A way that would not only satisfy your thirst for revenge upon Oberon, but make it possible for you to have power undreamed of? You could keep Oberon from hurting you. You could prevent anyone else from harming you. You could, if you wanted, have enough power to control the very world. The Forbidding continued, sounding excited.  
  
"I...I would probably ask you to explain."  
  
In good time, Silhouette. First, allow me to open your eyes. "Open my eyes?" Silhouette repeated, sounding a bit afraid. Things seemed to be moving somewhat quickly, and she wasn't sure what was going to happen.  
  
To show you what is necessary to free yourself. You are powerful.potentially omnipotent.but you are also somewhat naïve. That may be a hindrance. I can show you the world through the eyes of darkness; a new perspective, but a valuable one, for bright light often blinds. As a child of shadows, you know this to be true. Allow me to show you the way.  
  
Silhouette looked doubtful. "All right, show me the way, then."  
  
Suddenly, there was a tremendous pressure on her mind. At first she fought it...but then she embraced it, welcomed it. For this was a friend, not an enemy...and she would need a friend to break free of this place, wouldn't she? Almost in response, her eyes began to flare pitch black. An enigmatic smile touched her lips. "Hmm." she harrumphed, looking at herself as if for the first time. She turned her gaze to the ring, it's silver the only light in the place. Her smile widened.  
  
"Light blinds," she repeated. "but shadows can make things much, much clearer."  
  
In a frightening tone, the sound of approaching insanity, or even psychosis, Silhouette began to laugh. Her laughter, echoing throughout the darkness like the sound of a bell, told not of joy, but of hatred, malice... .and vengeance.  
  
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Chapter One - The Homecoming  
  
The Eyrie Building - October 19, 1996  
  
The sun set in a golden hue of brilliance, and life began anew.  
  
David Xanatos watched the scene on his office monitor, and smiled. As the gargoyles awoke, Alexander, who was sitting in his playpen at the foot of the desk, burbled happily. When David looked down, Alexander pointed at his teddy bear, the one with the gargoyle wings. Giggling with the contentment of a four-month-old baby, Alexander picked up the teddy bear and threw it across the pen. David had to laugh, in spite of himself.  
  
"Yes, Alex, they're going flying tonight," he grinned. Alexander shook his head emphatically, and picked up the teddy bear. Gurg was its name, given by Alex last week when Owen had tried to teach him to say gargoyle. Gurg was as far as Alex got, and that was the name that went to the stuffed bear as well.  
  
"Oh, no, Gurg's not going, I don't think. I think he's happy where he is tonight," David concluded. Alex burped with pleasure. David turned to the screen, which showed the gargoyles conversing amongst themselves, taking in the sunset light. He watched as Brooklyn and Lexington got into a playful shoving match, as Angela eagerly stared off the parapets of the castle at the city below, as Goliath took a deep breath of the autumn night air. How strange it must be, David thought, watching them. To finally come home, after two years. To their home. The traces of the old, ruthless David Xanatos wanted to rise up and admonish him for just giving the castle back to them, when they'd foiled his schemes countless times before. Why the philanthropism, that part of him screamed.  
  
And then, he looked at Alex, and found the answer. What had Goliath said four months ago? That he knew the transforming power of a child's love? Alex had changed his entire outlook on life, and he increasingly found himself becoming...altruistic. He'd even called up Halcyon Reynard, and invited him over for coffee last month. The elder man had promised he'd call back and hadn't, but still...  
  
Sighing, he flipped a switch, and the monitor showing the parapet scene vanished. He even felt guilty about peeking at the gargoyles. Damnit, I'm losing my edge. David thought, and didn't feel the least bit sorry for it. Alex looked at his father with a curious expression, and tossed Gurg playfully at him. David blinked, and looked at the bear. Laughing, he tossed Gurg back. Life went on.  
  
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"C'mon, Angela! I promised I'd show you around, didn't I?" Broadway laughed, practically yanking Angela inside the castle. Angela nearly stumbled, and shot Broadway a feigned withering glance. Smirking, Broadway pushed her. She shoved back, nearly sending him down the stairs.  
  
"Are you two coming?" Angela asked, pointing to Brooklyn and Lexington.  
  
Lexington smiled. "Why not? I've almost forgotten what this place looked like."  
  
Brooklyn nodded. "I know what you mean. I can't wait to see what new stuff this place has! It'll make the clock tower seem like..." he cut himself off, and frowned. Two nights ago, the only home the clan had known for two years had been obliterated in a flash of hate and vengeance. The loss of it weighed heavy on them all, even with the regaining of the castle. The dusty old loft had grown on them.  
  
"Brook, we're past that now," Lexington muttered, not entirely convinced that he was himself.  
  
"Aye, lad. We've regained our home. Our true home. And we're together. We're a clan, no matter where we live," Hudson added, intruding.  
  
The others all nodded in reluctant agreement. "You just kinda get attached," Brooklyn rationalized. He quickly cheered up. "Let's go. I want to see the games room."  
  
The quartet left, busily talking amongst themselves as they walked down the stairs. Hudson watched them go. With an enigmatic smile, he touched the stone of the castle wall. "Yes," he spoke, choked with emotion and feeling suddenly light as a feather. "We're truly home now," Bronx, padding around the corner, sniffed disdainfully at a spot on the floor, but seemed to agree with Hudson's sentiment. Hudson looked upwards. Goliath was on top of the tower, heading for the door to the inside of the castle. Hudson watched him go, having a suspicion of what the clan's leader was up to. "Lad, ye'd better be grateful," Hudson chuckled, laughing to himself.  
  
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There was a knock at the door. David and Fox sat at the dining hall table, drinking tea. Owen had gone to put Alexander to bed, so they knew it wasn't him. Curious, Xanatos cleared his throat. "Come in," David beckoned.  
  
The door opened, and Goliath, in an uncharacteristic display of shyness, peeked in.  
  
"Uh, hello," Goliath began, meekly. "I wish to speak to Xanatos."  
  
"Come on in," Fox replied. "I can leave, if..."  
  
"No...no. That's all right. I just wanted to..." Goliath hastily interrupted, searching for the right words. He was having incredible difficulty finding the words to say to this man, who had reawoken them, tried to control them, kill them, destroy them...and then become one of the few friends they could turn to in their time of need. He walked in, and stood on the opposite side of the table to where Xanatos was sitting. "To thank you for the castle," Goliath finished.  
  
David smiled. "Think nothing of it. You saved the world last night, Goliath. And you saved my son three months ago. After those, having a few permanent houseguests is hardly a burden."  
  
"But you...a lesser man would not do what you have done, Xanatos. On behalf of the clan, I thank you again. You cannot understand how much this means to us."  
  
"From the way you're acting, I think I do," Xanatos smirked. "Does this mean the feud's over? Friends?"  
  
Goliath paused, wary and speechless. Finally, he sighed. "Not yet," he said, almost regretfully. "It will take time for us to accept you as completely reformed, Xanatos. For now, thanks is all that I can offer."  
  
David glowered for a split second. "I see," he replied, sounding a little bit hurt.  
  
"I hope that someday will change," Goliath responded. He spread his wings, and folded them into the familiar cape. "Thank you, once again," Goliath offered. He bowed, turned around, and walked out of the room. Xanatos watched him go.  
  
Fox got up, and stood behind him. "David, don't worry. It's a start."  
  
David rolled his eyes. "You're right, Fox. We've acted like megalomaniacal schemers for too long for him to feel otherwise. I just...for some reason, I want him to trust me."  
  
Fox raised an eyebrow. "And why is that? Before, you wouldn't have cared whether someone thought you were the slime of the earth or not." David couldn't answer. Instead, he stared at the door, still slightly ajar.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
At the other end of the castle, a door slowly opened, and a small, olive green talon flicked on the light switch. Lexington peeked in, and waved back at the others.  
  
"It's still here," he reported.  
  
Brooklyn, Broadway and Angela walked in. The room was Xanatos' entertainment center, featuring a cassette projector, and a rather large screen. Along one wall was a cabinet, filled with videos. Broadway's eyes widened. "Looks like we'll need some popcorn," he hinted.  
  
Brooklyn smirked. "Now why did I have a sneaking suspicion that you'd be the one to bring that up?"  
  
Angela put a hand to her stomach. "I'm a bit hungry, too," she reported.  
  
Lexington jumped up onto a chair. "Well, how about Brooklyn and I go to the kitchen and get some snacks, and Broadway and Angela can stay here and pick a movie? We've got a night off patrol, so we might as well use it."  
  
"Good idea. Let's go, then, Lex. Buttered all around?" Brooklyn asked.  
  
Broadway and Angela nodded. Brooklyn and Lexington left for the kitchen. Angela strode to the cabinet, and opened the door. "What movie would you like to watch?" she asked.  
  
Broadway walked to her. "What's here...whoa! Casino! I've heard a lot of good things about that one!"  
  
"Casino it is, then." Angela echoed. She reached up to get the cassette. As she turned around, though, she stumbled. Broadway instinctively went to catch her, and the two wound up in each other's arms. They stared at each other, and almost automatically let go of each other.  
  
"I'm sorry," Angela muttered, staring at the floor.  
  
"Don't apologize...it was my fault. I think," Broadway stammered back.  
  
"No, I mean for tripping."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Uncomfortable silence. Finally, Broadway spoke again. "It wasn't like it was on purpose," he rationalized.  
  
"Exactly...and it's not like there would be anything wrong..."  
  
"After all, there's nothing wrong with a quick hug." Angela shook her head, though. "I just...let's maybe leave it at that for now."  
  
"You're right. Slow and steady, after all," Broadway started, looking very uncomfortable. More silence.  
  
"Of course, if something were to happen..." Angela began.  
  
"Let's...not play what if right now," Broadway interrupted sadly.  
  
"Alright..." Angela opened the projector, and put the tape in. Without pressing 'Play', she sat down. Broadway went to the opposite side of the couch, and sat down, without saying a word, as far away as possible from her as he could. Ten minutes later, Brooklyn and Lexington returned, each with a large bowl of popcorn.  
  
"What movie are we watching?" Brooklyn asked.  
  
"What? Oh, uh, Casino," Broadway replied, distracted. Lexington glanced at Brooklyn. The taller gargoyle shrugged, and moved to sit next to Angela. Lexington, briefly stopping to press 'Play', sat down beside Broadway. As the movie began, Lexington, his mouth full of popcorn, offered the bowl to Broadway. The blue gargoyle shook his head, a look of sadness on his face. Surprised, Lexington turned back to the movie.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Goliath watched the city below, with mixed feelings. He felt an obligation to protect it, but the way things were, people might not be so inclined to accept a gargoyle's protection. Perhaps it would be better to lay low until things calmed down to resume patrol.  
  
He turned around, and saw Elisa Maza standing there. Startled, he jumped back, and nearly lost his balance. Narrowly avoiding a tumble off of the parapet, he looked at her sheepishly. "Better be careful," Elisa smiled.  
  
"How did you get in?" Goliath asked. "I know Xanatos makes it a habit to never let anyone up to the castle without an escort."  
  
Elisa waved a laminated card at him. "He gave me a VIP pass. Said that I could come up here anytime I wanted, no questions asked. I still don't trust him...probably never will, after Derek...but I'd swear he's trying to make good with all of us, Goliath."  
  
Goliath growled. "Perhaps...but no matter what the reasoning, it is good to see you." My love, he nearly said aloud, but caught himself.  
  
"For sure, big guy," she grinned. "Uh, I had to tell Captain Chavez all about you guys after she found out why I was so convinced you guys didn't blow up the clock tower. She was a little upset that I kept the secret from her for almost two years, but she was surprisingly understanding," Elisa smiled.  
  
"I don't suppose she could do much for our negative image..."  
  
"No. And she has to keep the task force assembled. Regardless of what she thinks of you, the public would have her head if she got rid of it."  
  
"I see. But that will blow over, eventually."  
  
"No doubt about it. Lay low for a couple of weeks, and then aliens will kidnap somebody's mother, and the press will go after that. You guys will be chalked up to mass hallucination, or something...until everybody is mature enough to accept you." "I hope so. But...how are you?" Goliath asked, a little nervous.  
  
"Me? I'm fine. Considering that last night I came this close to being wiped out with some kind of disease, AND finally got to share my feelings with that special someone a few hours later..." she smiled as Goliath's cheeks flared almost pink, "I've had a most remarkable forty-eight hours."  
  
Goliath cleared his throat, and tilted his head toward the sky. "Well, then...shall we..."  
  
"I can't tonight. I have to help set out the temporary precinct house while the clock tower is being repaired. Matt managed to get me out of there so I could come talk to you."  
  
"Well, I hope you remember to thank him."  
  
"Believe me, I will. I should go. It's good to see you adjusting to your new...OLD home," Elisa finished. Suddenly, without a word, Goliath swept her into his wings. The two hugged, for what seemed like forever. Finally, he knelt down, and hesitantly kissed her. She didn't resist, which he unreasonably found himself half-heartedly hoping she would, but he overcame that regret, and enfolded her in his wings. Silently, they parted.  
  
Looking extremely sorry that she had to go, Elisa waved, and walked down the stairs. Suddenly, she came face to face with Hudson, who was standing near the top of the stairwell. "Were you eavesdropping?" she asked, feigning anger. "Eh...no, lass...I...I just remembered I have to take Bronx for a walk," he replied hastily, guilt all over his face. Laughing, Elisa gave him a kiss on the cheek. Awkwardly, Hudson patted her on the back. Elisa bit her lip to keep from laughing at Hudson's confusion.  
  
"Honestly, lass, I didn't mean to. I came up to talk to him about patrol duties, and found you...you know," Hudson claimed truthfully.  
  
Elisa smiled. "Don't worry. I'll forgive you this time," She walked down the stairs, and headed for the elevators.  
  
Hudson watched her go. Turning, he saw Goliath at the top of the stairwell. "Busy night?" he asked. Goliath, grinning like a hatchling, walked by him silently.  
  
"I'll just bet," Hudson retorted.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
The Forbidding  
  
In the dark, Silhouette planned. Her ring glared, showing the image of the Audience Hall in Castle Avalon. She had found that when she wanted, she could make the ring show her anything in the world. The Forbidding had shown her how. The Forbidding had shown her how to do a lot of things, and seeing through the ring was the least of them. The most important thing she'd learned, though, was the true range of her capabilities. As a result of her...instruction...she was more powerful than Oberon himself now. And when she returned...and return she would...she would teach him a few things about vengeance. A few interesting lessons indeed.  
  
The time is right. Are you going to leave now? the Forbidding asked, sounding excited.  
  
"Yes, I am. I must admit, it was nice getting to know you," Silhouette remarked, not meaning it. She cared nothing for the Forbidding. She cared nothing for anything, now, but felt she had to say something to it. It had been her only companion for eternity, or however long she'd been there. She had no concept of time, and for all she knew, she could have been banished for anywhere from three minutes to a million years.  
  
There was no answer from the being she had never seen. She was glad. It kind of gave her the creeps. Even though it claimed to be helping her, sometimes she felt it was nursing plans of its own. Plans she wanted no part of.  
  
Silhouette closed her eyes. Drawing in her will, she focused all of her energy on the ring. In her mind's eye, she saw the ring begin to crack, saw the darkness flare to brilliant white light, and saw the ring break apart into six fragments. She felt the Forbidding dissolving around her, felt herself pass through the barrier, and slowly saw the Castle of Avalon materialize around her.  
  
She was taken aback. There were humans and gargoyles there!  
  
Silhouette smiled. Target practice.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Avalon  
  
Princess Katherine stoked the fire, and smiled as Boudicca trotted over tiredly to sit at the foot of her chair. She rubbed the gargoyle dog's head, and sat down with the book she'd chosen. Tonight, she'd selected the Bible. She just felt like reading a psalm or two, and then, perhaps, she'd go to bed for the night. She wasn't alone there, by any means. Gabriel and Ophelia were there, as was young, reddish colored gargoyle, whom Tom had named Tybalt. He was playing chess with his mate; a beautiful gray gargoyle named Portia. Ophelia was knitting, and Gabriel was staring wistfully out the window.  
  
"Gabriel, what's the matter with ye? Ye've barely spoken a word all evening!" Katherine asked.  
  
Gabriel looked at her, distractedly. "I'm thinking about Angela again. I was just wondering how she.do you hear that?"  
  
"Hear what?" Portia asked.  
  
"That sound...it sounds like a gust of wind."  
  
"That's probably what it is, then," Tybalt muttered.  
  
"No...I feel it too. It can't be the wind, anyway...the window's closed," Ophelia frowned.  
  
Boudicca howled, almost to vouch for her. The sound intensified, suddenly, and the chessboard flew across the room. The fire flickered and went out. Katherine stood up, her psalms forgotten. All five gargoyles stood up, fangs bared, eyes glowing.  
  
And then, a ring appeared. It hung there suspended in space. Tybalt approached in cautiously, intent on finding out what exactly it was. Suddenly, the ring exploded in a soundless explosion of light. Tybalt was thrown backwards as the ring shattered in six fragments.  
  
With a rush of air, a swirling twister of darkness materialized, and from it emerged a girl, dressed in jet black clothes, with dark skin and hair. But the most startling thing about her were her eyes...they were as black as midnight.  
  
"Who are you?" Ophelia asked. Boudicca instinctively growled, backing away.  
  
"Let's just say that you'll soon find out beyond a shadow of a doubt," the girl smiled, and blasted a curtain of darkness at her. Tybalt saved her. He jumped in front of her, and took the full brunt of the blast. With a cry of pain, he crumpled to the floor. The strange girl stared intently at him, and a small wisp of black mist leaked out from her eyes. It hung in space, hesitant, and then the mist reached into Tybalt's own eyes as he lay on the ground.  
  
"TYBALT!" Portia screamed, and ran to him. He looked up, weakly, his face filled with pain. Then, he smiled. Portia watched in horror as his eyes darkened to the same glaring black as the girl's. "Oh my..." she breathed.  
  
The girl bowed. "My name is Silhouette," she began, "and your friend there is the first of many."  
  
Growling in rage and fear, Portia attacked her. Silhouette blasted her as well. Portia dodged it, and slammed into Silhouette. The shadow was knocked backwards, into the wall. Silhouette looked up, infuriated. "Mistake number one," she growled. From her hands came a black mist of darkness, which wrapped around Portia. She screamed as the mist wrapped around her face, and then began to suffocate her. Gabriel, Ophelia, and Boudicca rushed to her aid, but Silhouette froze them with a thought. Katherine watched in horror as the asphyxiating mist continued to strangle Portia.  
  
"Tybalt, do something!" she yelled.  
  
Tybalt looked at her, and smiled. "And why would I do that?" he leered, his eyes flaring black.  
  
Katherine was dumbstruck. "Stop it! You're going to kill her!" Ophelia yelled, straining with the effort.  
  
"That was the general idea," Silhouette shot back. Portia tried to breathe. She gasped, tried to swallow just a mouthful of air, but couldn't. The mist was unrelenting. The last thing she saw was Tybalt, laughing at her. She felt the tears in her eyes.  
  
And then, Silhouette stopped. The same mist emerged from Silhouette's eyes and plunged into Portia's just before she fell to the ground. When she stood up, her eyes were the same midnight black as Tybalt's and Silhouette's own. Portia leered at her in a gaze of contempt.  
  
"What are you?" Gabriel asked.  
  
"Shadow," Silhouette replied, enigmatically. "You don't have to understand. You will soon enough." With that, she melted away, and faded. Portia and Tybalt glanced at the others, and crashed through the window. Their screams, sounding decidedly insane, faded as they lofted into the night.  
  
The three gargoyles unfroze, and stumbled. Katherine ran to the window. "Whatever that was," she spoke, not quite comprehending what had just happened. "it was a demon." As she spoke, the ring fragments faded away into nothing.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Silhouette reappeared in the Audience Hall, with a corona of shadow surrounding her. A large portion of the Children were there, as well as a few gargoyles. At the intrusion, they jumped to the ready, prepared to guard Oberon.  
  
"Who are you?" Oberon asked, rising from his throne.  
  
"You don't remember? Your prodigal daughter's come home, Oberon," she smiled, and blasted Oberon. He was unprepared, and was knocked backwards. Her cloak of shadows wrapped around him. He struggled to break free, but couldn't. The gargoyles leapt to his defense, but Silhouette blasted them as well. The Children, confronted with her power, took a step back.  
  
Titania looked at Silhouette in shock. How could she have so much power? "I don't know who you are," she warned...no light of recognition dawned in her eyes... "but I advise you to stop this."  
  
"Stop it? In my moment of triumph?" Silhouette mocked.  
  
Titania's eyes narrowed. "Then so be it." Titania gestured, and the shadows retreated. Silhouette was knocked away.  
  
"Impressive, my Queen," Silhouette taunted. She fought back, and enveloped Titania and Oberon in shadow once more. As they struggled, she tightened her grip. Try as they might, they couldn't escape.  
  
"Mmm-hmm. Well, I suppose you'll want to know who it is that has bested you." Silhouette sighed. She turned to the Children. "A great wrong was done me before, and I was banished for a crime I didn't commit. Now, I have returned. Bow before Silhouette, the new Queen of Avalon! If Titania and Oberon themselves do," she waved, and the still struggling King and Queen of Avalon were raised in midair. They were brought before Silhouette, and forced into a bow. "Then who are you to hesitate?" Silhouette finished.  
  
The Children began to look extremely nervous. Suddenly, Odin stepped forward. "Lady, I do remember you. You were banished from here a thousand years ago, for attacking Oberon. You failed then, and I will ensure you fail now."  
  
"Oh really?" Silhouette yawned. The corona surrounding her flickered, and a small wisp of shadow spread outward from her. It stretched out to Odin's eyes, and seemed to vanish. Seconds later, Odin's eyes flared the same midnight black as Tybalt's and Portia's.  
  
Odin smiled. "Lady, I apologize for my intrusion. Please continue."  
  
"I knew you'd see it my way," Silhouette smirked. She gestured again, and Oberon and Titania were released. In seconds, their eyes were as ebony as the corona. They bowed to Silhouette...of their own volition this time...and stood beside her, on a lower step than she.  
  
"Any more questions?" Silhouette asked darkly.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Ariel, standing near the back of the Audience Hall, gaped in shock. "Silhouette...." he whispered.  
  
This was his fault. If he hadn't gotten her banished all those years ago, she wouldn't be doing this. He was positive that she wanted vengeance. He was also pretty conclusive on the fact that she was insane.whatever had happened to her in the intervening years, she was no longer that silly, childish girl he'd once picked on. Now she was dangerous. And if she could subvert Oberon and Titania, she was incredibly powerful. Such power, and insanity added in were not a good thing. But whatever happened, he was responsible for it...and he had to find a way to stop it. No sense confronting her directly, he thought. I'd end up the same as Oberon.  
  
So what could he do?  
  
Briefly, he thought back to his millennium among the humans. During the early years, he'd played the role of James Gregory, a page for King William I of England. Once, he'd met an old peasant named Aethelgard, who was quite clearly mad. But, Ariel was often interested in amusing himself with humans, so he'd stayed around Aethelgard for a while. One of the old man's most treasured possessions was his "manuscript", which he wrote in often. The old man had contracted the plague, and, as he lay dying, gave the book to Ariel, telling him they were full of prophecy. But what he remembered now was that the old man had told him that his book told how to destroy "the evil shadow demon".  
  
"What?" Ariel had asked, thinking of Silhouette.  
  
"She will return. You must use the book to stop her. It explains how," Aethelgard had explained, hacking up a lung.  
  
"Stop who?" Aethelgard had looked at him. "Silhouette..." he had warned, and then he died. Ariel had kept the book, and brought it to the library on Avalon, chalking it up as a memento. Now, perhaps he could use it to stop her. Without hesitation, he quietly vanished, and rematerialized in the Library. The manuscript was on one of the back shelves, and he took it.  
  
He picked it up, and stared at it. I've got a lot of faith in trusting you, he thought, regarding the volume. Don't disappoint me.  
  
With a nervous glance around, he vanished again. Appearing in Titania's chambers, he approached her Mirror. With a wave of his hand, it lit up, and the scene inside of it changed to that of a park, with skyscrapers in the background. Ariel recognized it from his travels...it was Battery Park, on Manhattan Island. Looking nervously behind him, he walked through the mirror.  
  
As he stepped out, he assumed a human form, and proceeded out of the park. The night sky looked down at him as he ran away, still wondering what had happened to Silhouette and what it was that she was planning to do.  
  
Somewhere, in the distance, the thunder rolled, warning of things to come.  
  
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ****************************************************************  
  
Chapter Two -The Servants of Twilight  
  
Avalon - (2 Hours Later)  
  
Silhouette lounged on the throne, lazily, eating grapes as one of the gargoyles fanned her with a lavish fan. Sighing, she snapped her fingers, and Oberon stepped forward. "Are all the children present, Oberon?"  
  
Oberon smiled wickedly. "All save one, my Lady. Ariel has vanished, and none have seen him in hours."  
  
"What of the Puck?"  
  
"He was banished some time ago. He lives in human form in the human world. He is of no concern."  
  
"All right. But...this Ariel...where could he have gone?" Silhouette asked, pretending she didn't know who he was. In reality, she had never forgotten him, and she hated him with an intense passion. If she found him, she personally planned to gut him. She turned to the gargoyle.  
  
"Calpurnia...what of the gargoyles?" "There are several missing. Gabriel, Ophelia, Boudicca, Jeremiah, Augustine...and the Princess Katherine and the Guardian are unaccounted for as well. They should be easily hunted down," Calpurnia reported.  
  
Silhouette smiled. Avalon was hers, now...all of its inhabitants completely under her power. Her power of subversion was her favorite...she could use her shadow tricks to cloud a person's mind into complete obedience. They weren't mindless zombies...the complete polar opposite, actually. Her subverted followers became cold, unfeeling, sometimes sadistic henchmen, whose only obvious sign of her intervention was their shadow filled eyes. Subverted gargoyles and humans also gained control of the powers of Children of Oberon, almost...capable of metamorphosing into shadow, creating illusion, telepathy...and subverting others. Her Servants of Twilight, she called them, liking the dramatic twist of the name. (In fact, subversion also increased a victim's ego and sense of drama, making her name rather typical in that regard). They would do anything for her that she asked.  
  
In fact, they'd already done a lot. As she subverted the Children, one by one, who were unable to resist after the conversion of Oberon and Titania, they had gained control of Avalon for her. The island paradise was slowly changing as well...the trees and wildlife of the island were beginning to change, somehow, to become creatures of shadow themselves. And an eerie, black mist was beginning to pervade around Avalon...cloaking the isle in shadow. Silhouette looked out at her subjects. The gargoyles and humans were of no importance. They would be found, eventually, and given to the cause. Ariel, however...no doubt he would try to stop her. No matter. He would fail.  
  
Silhouette got up off the throne. She paced around restlessly. Everything was too complacent. "I want more."  
  
"Begging your pardon, my Lady?" Oberon asked.  
  
"I want more than just Avalon. Subverting it was fun, but I want more of a challenge. I want to use this power I've been given. What else is there to conquer? I want to have rest of the world. All of it." She briefly recalled the Forbidding's laughs back in the shadowy dimension she'd just escaped from, but the memory passed.  
  
"Then it is yours for the taking. Shall we come along?" Oberon asked.  
  
Silhouette thought. "No. I want the satisfaction of doing it myself. Besides, Ariel may be there, and I want to see to him personally."  
  
"Very well."  
  
Silhouette frowned. She'd made up her mind, but where to start? Where would she begin the subversion?  
  
She picked New York City entirely out of chance.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
La Guardia International Airport - October 29, 1996  
  
"American Airlines Flight 1356 to Chicago has been delayed for two hours, due to mechanical failure, sir. I'm sorry," the ticket clerk apologized.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, it's all right," Travis Marshall sighed. He looked skyward, appealing for divine intervention of some sort. After it failed to come, he looked to the window. The lazy sunlight of the New York afternoon played upon the wing of the airliner. He couldn't wait to get out of New York for a couple of days, but life seemed to be throwing all sorts of obstacles in his way.  
  
Tiredly, he shuffled over to the concourse lounge. He sat down, and began to bemoan his life over the past week. He didn't even know why he was planning the trip to Chicago. Well, for one reason: Pamela. His ex-wife was remarrying, and as a cruel reminder of what they'd once had, she'd invited him to the wedding. Travis didn't really want to go, but he was so desperate to see Simone, the daughter he'd been forced to give up in the custody battle again... Plus, besides all this, he'd had a remarkably bad week. The TV station had given him a pay cut...nevermind he was a senior reporter, responsible for the brilliant coverage of the gargoyle affair a week ago...and announced that his insurance benefits with the station were going to be halved within three years. Then, he was mugged. Then, his car was stolen. It was found thirty feet away from where it had been parked, wrapped around a traffic light. Then, he was mugged again. Then, he found out it would cost him several thousand dollars to repair his car, which his insurance wouldn't pay for. And the list went on, and on... Travis sighed. And, to top it all of, there was some kind of new disease that had started spreading around Staten Island. Tentatively, the doctors here were calling it the "Richmond Syndrome", since the first cases had cropped up in Richmond. The TV station had assigned him to cover it, and he'd spent the last couple of days around city hospitals. He'd seen a few patients afflicted with it, and it had the strangest symptoms he'd ever seen...unexplainable behavioral changes, and discoloration of the eyes. Simply put, they turned black. He had spent some time in a paranoid freak that he would get infected from his reporting work, and that hadn't made his week any better. He really needed coffee.  
  
Getting up, he walked to a cappuccino stand near the gate. He ordered a cup, and watched as the incompetent waiter broke the machine. He turned around, and saw a rather beautiful young woman standing behind him. "Oh, hi," he nodded, fishing for his wallet.  
  
"Hi!" the girl smiled. She was very pretty, thought Travis. Raven black hair, dark skin...and the blackest eyes she'd ever seen. Her irises were jet black, the color of midnight.  
  
Travis, feeling the pang of a divorcee's desire, felt himself captivated. "I'm...Travis Marshall. My flight got delayed."  
  
The woman smiled. "I'm Sylvia Donovan. I'm waiting for my sister to arrive from Baltimore."  
  
"Well...that's nice. So...uh...what do you do for a living?"  
  
She smiled seductively. "Are you trying to hit on me, Mr. Marshall?"  
  
"No! No, I'm just...uh, curious. I'm a reporter, myself."  
  
Sylvia smiled. "Let's just say I'm very career oriented," she replied. Travis had a slight premonition of danger, but it passed. He was just being a little apprehensive after having an incredibly bad week. "What do you do?" he asked again.  
  
"I'm in...uh...advertising," Sylvia fumbled. Travis raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, she smiled. Travis saw her eyes flare, so that her entire eye was pure black.  
  
"Wha..." he stumbled, unsure of what he was seeing, not piecing together Richmond Syndrome until it was too late. Then, he saw a needle thin ray of darkness spread from her eye. It wavered, and then plunged right into his own eye. He felt a pressure on his mind, one that almost couldn't be described. It felt like something else was in his head. And like it was eclipsing his own thoughts and personality. He tried to fight it, but the effort was futile. In a few seconds, his eyes were as black as the woman's, and he knew the entire truth about her. Also, he didn't care. "Silhouette..." he whispered, a wicked leer on his face.  
  
Silhouette cast aside all pretense of pretending to be Sylvia Donovan, and touched his cheek. "Very perceptive, Travis! Now, I want you to do something for me." She led him aside, back to the concourse lounge, and they talked. For what seemed like a long time, she explained things to him. He nodded a lot, but all that Travis really wanted to do now was to subvert. It was a driving purpose in his life, now, and he wanted to get down to business as soon as possible.  
  
"Understand?" Silhouette asked.  
  
"Perfectly," Travis answered, and he sneered.  
  
"Well, good then. It was nice talking to you." She got up, and left, occasionally spreading a ray of darkness into a passing stranger's eyes. Travis turned to the ticket clerk at the American Airlines booth. Without a word, he spread a similar beam from his own eyes into the clerk's. At first, she looked surprised, but then, she looked understanding...and perfectly sadistic.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Silhouette walked out of the terminal, a look of satisfaction on her eyes. She'd been subverting people for almost two days now. And the people she was converting would turn others...it was like a snowball, rolling down a hill. By now, almost two thousand people would be turned...her Servants of Twilight would be growing in number for a little while yet. And the travelers in the airport...well, they could spread the sickness all across the world. Soon, all of Earth would be hers...and it would become remarkably similar to the place Avalon was now. She smiled. Back to work, she thought, as she subverted a passing toddler on her way to the airport with Mommy to visit Daddy, coming home from a business trip to San Francisco. Within five minutes, the three-year-old girl had subverted Mommy, and in half an hour, Daddy, as well as at least twenty other nameless strangers were under Silhouette's spell.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
The Eyrie Building  
  
The gargoyles awoke, with the traditional crash of stone, and the sleep filled yawns punctuating the night. As they hopped off of their parapets, Goliath cleared his throat forcefully.  
  
"What is it?" Lexington asked.  
  
"I think perhaps we should try to patrol again. As a trial run, to see if things have quieted down enough for us to resume our duties as guardians of the city," he spoke.  
  
"Is that wise? It's only been eleven days. People may not forget," Angela cautioned.  
  
"Well, we've moved from headline news to about number ten on CNN," Broadway joked. Nobody laughed. "Right," he tried to cover.  
  
"We'll meet back here in two hours. Hudson, Brooklyn, you're with me. Broadway, Lexington, Angela, you go out. Try to stay out of sight," Goliath ordered. The gargoyles all nodded. Broadway, Angela and Lexington hopped up and soared off the castle, to the city below. Brooklyn looked to Goliath. "So, where do we start?" Goliath looked out to the city. "Around Park Avenue. I want to check in on a friend."  
  
"Park Avenue. Isn't that where the temporary police station is?" Hudson asked slyly.  
  
"Yes. What of it?" Goliath replied, testily. "Nothing, " Hudson blinked, taken momentarily aback. Goliath smiled warily. "Yes. I want to see how Elisa is doing."  
  
Brooklyn rolled his eyes in an of-course gesture, and smirked. The three hopped up, and flew away into the night.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
David Xanatos sat in his office, going over some paperwork. At the knock of the door, he glanced up. Owen Burnett, with an employee, walked in. David gestured the employee to sit.  
  
"Good evening, Mr..." David began.  
  
"Marcos, sir. Hernando Marcos," Hernando added.  
  
"Hernando. Yes. Mr. Marcos, some of your coworkers have filed complaints about you lately." David paused, thrown off by the color of his eyes. They seemed to be completely black...no iris, pupil or white showing. He'd seen a couple of others with eyes like that in the past few days, and had tentatively attributed it to a new type of contact lens, which just happened to be the latest trend. David couldn't understand why. It looked...sinister.  
  
"Complaints?" Hernando asked. Suddenly, Fox walked in, with a cup of coffee.  
  
"Fox..." David chided.  
  
"I know, David. I'll only be a minute. I just need the stapler," she sighed. She opened a drawer in David's desk, and began to rummage through the office supplies.  
  
David sighed. "Anyway, Mr. Marcos, your coworkers have stated that lately you've become...impossible to work with."  
  
"I suppose I am," Hernando smiled. His opal black eyes glittered in the light.  
  
"Well, I'm inclined to agree. Your performance records show that you've become unstable...careless...irritable...in other words, not the most desirable of attitudes. Hernando, I don't want to fire you, but I...is something wrong?"  
  
Hernando was staring intently at Fox. She seemed to be intent on the desk, but suddenly, she looked up. A look of concern crossed her face...and then she resumed a rather calculating expression.  
  
David was suddenly concerned. "Improve your attitude, Mr. Marcos. Owen, show him out."  
  
"Of course, Mr. Xanatos," Owen replied, and he gestured to the door. Hernando followed, shooting an appraising glance at Xanatos. David turned to Fox.  
  
"Dear, is something wrong?" he asked.  
  
Fox looked up. "Me? No, I'm fine." At that precise instant, Alex began to cry, the sound piercing from the room next door. "God, can't that kid shut up? I'm this close to strangling the little snot nose, David, I swear," Fox yelled. David looked in her face...the face of someone who didn't care about her baby.  
  
"Fox, are you sure..."  
  
"I'm fine, David. Don't worry," she snapped. She left the room, and began to scream at the baby. Alexander cried harder in response. For an instant, David was scared she would hit him, and he began to walk toward the nursery, but his fears were allayed. Eventually, Fox came out of the room, wringing her hands in frustration. David walked into the nursery, listening as Alex stopped crying as soon as he came in. "Oh, Alex, what's the matter?" he asked, trying to be soothing. But he was preoccupied with Fox. Why was she acting so peculiar? And her eyes. David thought. Aren't they supposed to be brown? They were pitch black.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Yankee Stadium  
  
The stadium was fairly quiet, seeing as the Yankees were out of town, playing the Red Sox in Boston. As a result, the area was practically deserted, except for a few employees working late.  
  
Meaning, of course, that the night visitors wouldn't be widely seen, which was fine by them. The three swooped down, landing on the roof of the stadium.  
  
Lexington looked around, finding a clock on a nearby building. Twenty- five after seven. They'd been patrolling for about an hour now, and the night had been fairly quiet. "Where do we go from here?" he asked, taking a deep breath of the crisp air.  
  
Broadway groaned. "Let's just relax for a few minutes, okay? My wings are getting sore."  
  
"It'll be easier on the way back to Manhattan," Angela stated. "We were flying in headwinds all the way here."  
  
Broadway flopped backwards onto the concrete stadium roof, expressing sounds of comfort. "I just want to lay down for a few minutes. Then we can go back home," he sighed.  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me," Angela agreed, and the trio sat staring into the chilly night, watching the nearby lights of Manhattan flicker in the darkness. The Triborough Bridge was busy tonight, and the lights of the crossing traffic spread an eerie, flickering glow on the East River below. As the wind ruffled through her hair, Angela began to softly sing. Neither Broadway or Lexington could place the tune, but they were enthralled. Angela's voice lofted through the night, in a melody that sang of Avalon, the only home she'd ever known before this May. It was a beautiful tune, and, as she finished, none of them spoke.  
  
Finally, Broadway broke the silence, still lying on the ground. "Did anyone ever tell you," he began, "that when you sing, you have this really nice edge to your voice that sounds a little bit like Tracy Chapman?"  
  
Angela stared for a second, trying to place the reference. Then she smiled. "Give me one reason to stay here, and I'll turn right back around," she sang, in a bluesy voice.  
  
Lexington and Broadway joined in. "You see, I don't want to leave you lonely, but you've gotta make me change my mind!" all three sang. They stared at each other, and burst out laughing. "When did you learn that song?" Lexington asked, still chuckling.  
  
"I saw it performed on 'The Tonight Show' last month. That's the only verse I know," Angela confessed, a little bit shyly.  
  
Broadway propped himself up on his elbows. "You are a really good singer, though."  
  
"Oh...thanks." Angela smiled. They looked at each other sadly.  
  
Lexington frowned. "Do you two want to be alone?" he asked.  
  
"No!" Broadway added hastily.  
  
"Of course not!" Angela exclaimed simultaneously. Broadway and Angela looked at each other for a second.  
  
Finally, Broadway turned to Lexington. "Uh...well, if you don't mind..." he spoke shyly. Lexington scowled for a second, feeling jealous of him. It was clear to both him and Brooklyn that Angela was interested in Broadway. Even if the two wouldn't admit it, they gave off hints that were as subtle as a blow to the temple with a sledgehammer. Brooklyn was accepting of it...he had to be, he was the second in command, and was lately trying to show dignity at all times.  
  
Lexington, however, wasn't bound by those restrictions, and felt a little bit hurt and rejected that Angela wouldn't choose him. Once, he'd gone into a ranting fit about it at Hudson, and had practically grabbed the old gargoyle by the beard and shaken him. Hudson, looking a little amused, confused and frightened at the same time, had simply patted him on the head, and told him to calm down, and not be so overly concerned about his hormones just yet. "I'm not a hatchling, Hudson...I'm thirty-six years old." Lexington had sighed.  
  
Hudson looked rather awkward for a second. "Well, that may be true, but, in any case, remember that if the young lass should choose Broadway, then that is her decision." he had stammered. After that, Hudson had retreated to the TV, and refused to talk about it anymore.  
  
His feelings cleared up though...externally, anyway. "No trouble at all. Whenever you're ready to leave, I'll be down there," he told Broadway, and he got up. Shooting a wistful glance at Angela, he leapt off the stadium, heading for a ledge below. He landed, and settled down to stare at the parking lot. You know you have a life when...he thought, and chuckled.  
  
With a sigh, he began to think about Angela. She was very beautiful...and he knew he didn't have a chance in hell of getting her. Back in the tenth century, the younger gargoyle males had often played a game, which had generally been known as 'Choose Your Mate'. The game involved nothing more than the gargoyles sitting around, describing what they thought their mates would look like. Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington had often played the game...Brooklyn could never decide what it was he wanted her to look like, and Broadway always ended up not saying anything. But, whenever it was Lexington's turn, the other gargoyles would all smile, and tell him that he was a little young to play. "I'm only younger than you two by four years." Lexington had protested.  
  
But they were right. His diminutive stature would probably mean that no female would ever take him seriously. And since there weren't many gargoyles left, he would probably never have a mate.  
  
With a small, dejected sigh, he sat down, wrapping his arms around his knees. Why was it that all the bigger, stronger guys got the girl? He'd seen enough movies and real-life situations to know it was true in the human world as well. Lexington smiled wistfully. Maybe, someday I'll be lucky, and find a small girl, and we can...  
  
Suddenly, he saw several people in the parking lot. From the sounds of things, it was a group mugging. "Never a dull moment," he sighed, rolling his eyes. He soared off the ledge, and swooped down to investigate.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Alexis McCarron looked at her attackers, and wanted to scream. There were seven of them, and her self-defense training wouldn't help her against so many of the assailants. But that wasn't what disturbed her most. For some odd reason, they didn't look...normal. In the light of the overhead lamps, she could tell that at least three of the attackers were wearing business suits. Not many muggers wore that kind of attire. At least one was a fifty-year-old woman, as well. Quite the motley crew...Alexis thought, as she backed away. But what bothered her most were their eyes. In the harsh light, she could see nothing except black...no whites, no irises, and no pupils. "What...what do you want?" she half yelled. "I don't have any money!"  
  
"What makes you think we want money?" one attacker asked. He was a balding, forty something man dressed in a business suit. He was wearing a sadistic grin on his face.  
  
They're going to kill me, Alexis thought. Dear God, they're going to kill me.  
  
"We want you," the fifty year old woman leered. The shadows in her eyes suddenly leapt out toward her, reaching for her...  
  
And then she heard a swooping sound. She turned around, and one of those gargoyle creatures was behind her. He was short, and his eyes were flaring a brilliant white color.  
  
"Seems chivalry died out," the creature said sadly, and then he attacked the shadow things. They retreated for a second, and then regrouped and surged around the creature. The little demon fought hard, and seemed to be holding his own. Alexis watched as it's talons raked one of the assailants in the face, and gaped as the wound began to bleed. She screamed then, longer and louder than she'd ever done before.  
  
A night watchman looked out of his office window, saw the scene, paled, and picked up his phone. Good God...he thought frantically. There's a gargoyle attacking those people out there!  
  
He dialed 911, and explained, rather haphazardly, the predicament. The dispatcher fielded the call, and sighed. The only real words he'd been able to pick out were 'gargoyle', and 'Yankee Stadium'. He bit his lip. "Gargoyles," he sniffed. Picking up his direct line to the NYPD, he fielded his call.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"It's a really beautiful night," Angela murmured, staring into the distance.  
  
"I know. But not as beautiful as you are," Broadway added quietly.  
  
Angela looked at him in shock. "What?"  
  
Busted...Broadway thought. "Uh, I said 'I know, and you can see really far.' "  
  
Angela smiled. "You did not. I heard every word."  
  
"Oh. Are...are you mad?"  
  
"Screaming with rage," Angela stated in a deadpan voice.  
  
Broadway relaxed. "Oh. Well, I'm not too thrilled, either."  
  
Angela looked at him. "Why not?"  
  
Broadway blinked. "I...I was just carrying the joke farther."  
  
"Oh."  
  
The two looked at each other for a second. Broadway tentatively took Angela's hand, and she made no move to stop him. They sat there for a second, contentedly, and then, ever so slightly, Angela moved in a little closer. Broadway leaned forward. Angela did the same. Broadway closed his eyes. The two came closer...closer...the kiss was inevitable...  
  
And then someone screamed. Broadway jumped back. Was that her? he thought. God, what did I do wrong?  
  
Angela was on her feet. "It came from the parking lot!" she exclaimed. With that, she glided off of the roof to investigate.  
  
Broadway got up. "Perfect timing," he muttered. He looked after her, and jumped down as well.  
  
As they landed, they came upon quite the sight. Lexington was locked in combat with seven people, holding his own quite well. The scream had come from a woman standing nearby, locked in fear. She turned her head, saw Broadway and Angela, and fainted. The two shrugged, and cut into the melee. At first, the attackers ignored them, but soon they branched off and attacked them.  
  
"Lex, who are these guys?" Broadway called.  
  
Lexington struggled away from the three that were on top of him, and knocked them away. But whatever the gargoyles did, the assailants came back for more. "I don't know," Lexington answered, panting. "But whoever they are, they take a lot of punishment."  
  
"Their EYES!" Angela exclaimed. Broadway looked for himself. The attacker's eyes were all black...pure darkness. Whatever was going on, it wasn't natural. Almost in response to Angela's cry, the things seemed to become stronger. In tandem, they threw away all three gargoyles. Lexington, Broadway and Angela were thrown twenty feet away. The things were remarkably strong.  
  
Then, something odd happened. Three of the creatures stepped forward. Shadows seemed to leak from their eyes, and plunged into all three of the gargoyles' eyes.  
  
For a brief instant, all three felt a presence on their minds, as if something else were trying to invade them.  
  
Then it passed. Nothing had happened. Lexington, Broadway and Angela looked at each other, as if to say "Did you feel that?" but nothing more. The things became enraged. Snarling like animals, they advanced towards the three gargoyles, with one thing on their minds.murder.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Temporary 23rd Precinct House  
  
"I'm really glad you came," Elisa told Goliath, running her hands through his hair.  
  
"And why is that?" Goliath replied.  
  
"I just am," Elisa smirked. The two stepped back a little. Goliath and Elisa had been up on the roof talking for almost an hour now. Mostly, they'd talked about other things...the old how's-life, very-good-how's- yours conversation, but occasionally, they'd delved into deeper topics, about themselves, and the new facet to their relationship. They'd laughed a little, but mostly just sat and talked, and agreed, for the most part, that they'd play it slow. It had been Goliath's suggestion...no matter how much he loved Elisa, he'd said, he still wasn't quite completely ready for an interspecies relationship just yet, and that he just needed a little time. Elisa had understood, reluctantly, and that was that. They'd kissed, and given each other a quick hug. Brooklyn and Hudson were nowhere to be seen...respecting the couple's privacy, they'd continued on patrol while Elisa and Goliath visited.  
  
"I should go and catch up with the others," Goliath stated, reluctantly.  
  
"Yeah. They'll think that we eloped, or something," Elisa joked.  
  
Goliath raised his lip and smiled. "Here's hoping," he said, not joking at all. He touched Elisa's cheek, and then lifted her head up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and the two kissed once again.  
  
"Ahem," Matt Bluestone coughed, smiling. Goliath and Elisa glanced at him, and quickly separated. Elisa blushed, and Goliath growled.  
  
"Take it easy. We just came up to talk to Goliath for a moment," Matt sighed.  
  
As he did so, Captain Chavez hobbled out from the stairwell to the roof, still in crutches from the incident a week and a half ago. She took one look at Goliath, and her jaw dropped. "Uh...this is Goliath, I take it," Maria stuttered, taken aback.  
  
Goliath folded his wings into a cape, and bowed. "Good evening, Captain. I am Goliath. Elisa has told me much about you," he intoned, sounding very regal. Maria Chavez trembled for a second, but relaxed afterwards.  
  
"Ch...charmed," she smiled weakly.  
  
Goliath stood up. "What are we discussing?" Elisa asked. Matt and Chavez looked at each other, as if deciding to go ahead with their message with the present company around. "We just got a dispatch from Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx. There's some kind of disturbance going on."  
  
Elisa shrugged. "So? The southwest Bronx is the 21st Precinct's territory."  
  
Chavez frowned. "The dispatcher mentioned gargoyles."  
  
Goliath's eyes flared. "WHAT?" he roared.  
  
"Apparently, the dispatcher saw a gargoyle attacking a group of people. I had no choice but to mobilize the gargoyle task force. That's why we came up here, to let you know. If it's one of your clan, I'm positive he isn't attacking anyone, but the squad won't know that. I've told them to use restrained force, if even that, but there's no guarantee. You should get there and try to defuse the situation. I can't guarantee their safety," Matt cautioned.  
  
"Some of the people in the task force are real hot shots," Chavez added.  
  
"I understand. Matt, I know you probably can't help it, but please try to hold the task force off," Goliath frowned.  
  
"I'll try, but we're leaving in two minutes. That's all I can give you."  
  
Goliath rumbled. "Thank you." he sighed. Without a word, he ran to the edge of the building, caught an updraft, and glided away, towards the Bronx.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Planet Hollywood  
  
Silhouette sat at the bar, drinking a Manhattan, and subverting a few people around the area. As she sat down, she suddenly received a mental image from one of the subverted. That was another one of her powers... the Servants of Twilight could mentally communicate. Right now, the Servants were only recently subverted, and so they had limited abilities, but Silhouette could usually get the gist of the problem.  
  
This time, Silhouette was getting an image of a sports stadium of some sort, a group of her followers, and three gargoyles. Among the blur of images was one simple message...WE CAN'T SUBVERT THEM.  
  
Silhouette looked around in confusion. Why couldn't they subvert them? This threw a whole new crimp in things. Sighing, she decided to try herself. The image that she'd been given wasn't too clear, but she thought she had a vague idea of where it was. She got up, and shot her shadow glance at a man sitting at a table nearby. He was subverted, of course. With that, Silhouette walked out of the club. She ducked into an alley, and vanished.  
  
Back in the club, the new subverted looked confused for a second, and then smiled. "Brendan? Brendan, what's the matter?" his wife asked, noting his cold sneer.  
  
Brendan blinked. "Nothing's the matter, Margot," He took a drink of his martini. "Nothing's the matter at all."  
  
************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************  
  
Chapter Three -Destinies  
  
New York Public Library (6 Hours Ago)  
  
The afternoon was very sunny, a remarkably pleasant, warm autumn day. Of course, Ariel had little concern for such things. He's been in this library every day for a week now, in human form, going over Aethelgard's manuscript, struggling to make sense of what the senile old fool had written. It wasn't easy. Occasional flashes of what could be prophecy were mixed in with letters to people, notes to himself, and transactions of financial reports. He had to read through the entire volume to find what could be promising, and whatever there was often didn't make sense. He'd gone through and, with the help of a highlighter he'd appropriated from the front desk, marked all the "prophecy". Now, he was fighting to jumble it together, to find some meaning. He flipped to the beginning, and began again. The first passage was very brief. It simply detailed the banishment of Silhouette, and how she was a threat which would return.  
  
The next detailed the events that he'd just lived through.  
  
"Lady of Darkness, escaped from the damned  
  
Returns through the circle binding  
  
Avalon's shores are lost to darkness  
  
A cycle of hatred winding."  
  
The first three lines were clear, surmised Ariel. Silhouette had returned, through the ring that bound her. She'd conquered Avalon, and changed it to a place of darkness. And the cycle of hatred winding probably meant the spiral of hatred that Silhouette had brought with her from banishment.  
  
Blinking, he moved on to the next quatrain.  
  
"One lone fey shall escape the tempest  
  
Fleeing to a world unsafe as well.  
  
He takes up the cause, the Purpose, the light  
  
And to others his story doth tell."  
  
The first two lines meant him...he'd escaped Avalon, and fled to the human world, which was unsafe as well. He'd on occasion, seen people walking around New York City with eyes as black as Oberon's, Titania's, Odin's...  
  
And Silhouette's.  
  
The third part may mean his taking up the cause to stop Silhouette, but he had no idea who it was he was supposed to tell the story to, according to the fourth line.  
  
There wasn't any more prophecy there...the next three pages were an account of his visit to the Oxfordshire Monastery...but the prophecy resumed after that.   
  
"Subversion begins, the light fades to black  
  
Doomsday approaches ever near  
  
During a battle in the building of past and present,  
  
The Purpose shall all become clear."  
  
Then, it talked about church duties and tariffs, and, six pages later, began another fortune.   
  
"The fey cannot do it alone  
  
He must call on six guardians, carved of magical stone."  
  
Ariel frowned. It seemed to say that he wouldn't be able to stop Silhouette alone, but that he would have to call on six gargoyles to do it for him. Frowning, he read on.   
  
"The six guardians are of purpose true,  
  
Four from an island of glass and stone,  
  
One from the forests afar in the west,  
  
One from the mystical island alone.  
  
The island's champions, displaced in time,  
  
The island itself, the bastion of the New World,  
  
Found in the battle where Purpose is explained,  
  
The fey will know them, with banners unfurled.  
  
One is the protector, because of his need,  
  
To see his friends safely along the quest.  
  
Grant him therefore, the power to guard them  
  
During battle, and journey, and all of the rest.  
  
Another, the traveler, named so because,  
  
He wishes to wander, to save the world he does know.  
  
Grant him, therefore, the power of traversing,  
  
To take the company where need be they go.  
  
The next is the truthfinder, because she must be free,  
  
To save the others, 'tween image and reality she must choose.  
  
Grant her, therefore, the power of true seeing,  
  
To find her way through shadow's dark ruse.  
  
The next is the leader, the binding force,  
  
He must find his way home from darkness to light.  
  
Grant him, therefore, the power of reason,  
  
To lead his companions to do what is right.  
  
Two others are included in the company true,  
  
A journey must be led to bring them to truth.  
  
One in the west, separate from her clan,  
  
One from the island she was raised on from youth.  
  
The one from the isle, the illusionist fair,  
  
Needed to shield the others from what would harm them.  
  
Grant her, therefore, the power to make others see,  
  
What they would, and not what would possibly destroy them.  
  
The last from the west, the ringbearer final,  
  
Needed to restore the balance of dark and light.  
  
Grant her, therefore, the power of the ring,  
  
Needed to cast away endless night."   
  
Ariel wanted to fall asleep. The passages were so confusing. It was detailing who the six gargoyles were, but he couldn't see how that could help. All he could gather was that four of them were in New York City (the bastion of the New World had been a phrase he'd heard New York described as at some points in his millennium), that one was on a magical island, and one was somewhere in the west. And they had special powers to help them along. Big help.  
  
He took out a notepad, and made six columns. Under the first four, he wrote New York City, and question marks under the others. Then, he wrote Protector, Traveler, Truthfinder, and Leader. Under the other two, he wrote Illusionist and Ringbearer.  
  
Then, something clicked in. Above illusionist, he wrote Avalon. There was only one mystical island...Avalon. One of the gargoyles lived on Avalon. He also knew it had to be a girl, so that narrowed it down to fifteen possibilities, or somewhere around that number.there weren't that many gargoyles there, and he'd seen them all at the start of the Gathering. He put the notepad away, and flipped through again. There was a passage all about the gargoyle he hadn't determined the whereabouts of yet.   
  
"The seeker, once within sight of the guardians,  
  
Will be able to see if they are the true ones.  
  
This feeling will come upon him three times,  
  
And will be unmistakable within his bones.  
  
Three ringing sounds, echoing through the night.  
  
Once in New Amsterdam, at the battle of purpose,  
  
Once on the west shore of the realm of the Raven,  
  
And once on Avalon, when confronted with surplus."  
  
New Amsterdam was New York, and it expressly said Avalon. And Raven...he was a Child of Oberon anyway, and Ariel knew he'd lived in Canada during his millennium. And the westernmost province was British Columbia, wasn't it? Therefore, the sixth gargoyle would be found in British Columbia. This was getting easier. And he would even have a signal when he saw them. Perfect.  
  
In considerably better spirits, he turned the page.   
  
"Know this, ye seeker, what the guardians must do,  
  
If the world they would save, and evil reseal.  
  
They must find the six pieces of the ring,  
  
Scattered throughout the land to reveal.  
  
One on the island of darkness and pain,  
  
One in the city of losses and gain.  
  
One on a rock in the eastern sea,  
  
One in a south city, proud and free.  
  
One in the west, on a tower to space,  
  
One in the city of darkness and grace.  
  
The shadow demon's magic herself cannot harm them,  
  
Until the ring is whole once more.  
  
Then, a battle to the end must be made,  
  
Where a sacrifice offered must last evermore.  
  
But most important of all, know this..."  
  
And then, there was a page missing. Frowning, Ariel turned through the book, but he couldn't find it. A passage was missing from the prophecy. What a kick in the teeth, he thought. Most important of all, know this...end of story. Frantically, he flipped through the book again, looked in the binding, and searched the table around him. The page hadn't fallen to the floor. Rubbing his eyes, he sank back to the chair. What a load of bull... He didn't finish the thought. There was no point lamenting about what couldn't be changed. He'd just simply have to try to piece together what was missing from the prophecies he had. With a bored sigh, he turned back to the beginning of the book, and started to read the prophecy over again.  
  
It was at about this point that Ariel realized that he knew practically nothing about what had to be done. He sighed. He hated working through prophecies. All he could gather from the whole thing was that he had to find six gargoyles, send them off on a merry quest to recover six pieces of the ring which bound Silhouette, and have them battle, possibly to the death, with the demon. He groaned. He barely understood any of it.  
  
Then, the answer came to him in a flash of insight. Couldn't he use his powers, as a Child of Oberon, to find the hidden meaning of the prophecies?  
  
He grinned. Splendid! Capital idea! But he couldn't do it here. He had to find somewhere else to do it. The library was crowded today, and suddenly shapeshifting into a Child of Oberon might draw a little bit of attention. So, where could he go?  
  
Blinking, he realized where that was. Perhaps it was time to visit an old friend.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
The Eyrie Building (5 Hours Ago)  
  
Owen Burnett sighed, and took a sip of coffee. The expenditure reports had to be finished in four hours, and he was woefully behind. Human concerns, but concerns which affected him nonetheless.  
  
He punched some figures into the calculator, and wrote the answer down on the ledger. As he did so, there was a brilliant flash of light, and a figure which looked remarkably like Owen except for the white hair materialized.  
  
Sighing, Owen took off his glasses. "Yes?" he replied, utterly unfazed.  
  
"You take all the fun out of it, Puck," Ariel sighed, and he metamorphosed into his usual, Child of Oberon form.  
  
"Ariel. How pleasant to see you," Owen greeted, flatly.  
  
"It's nice to see you too. Listen; I need to stay here for a while. I have to use a rather powerful spell, and I'd rather do it in a secluded place."  
  
Owen raised an eyebrow. "Fine. But why can you not cast the spell on Avalon?"  
  
Ariel scowled. "Silhouette's back."  
  
Owen shrugged. "So? You'll get in another fight with her. That's no reason to not return to Avalon. Which reminds me...I though that the Children were not permitted to leave after the Gathering. Why are you here?"  
  
"You need to be clued in on a few things, Puck," Ariel sighed. "Silhouette is practically omnipotent. I don't know how, but she's taken control of everyone on Avalon, except for me and a few gargoyles and humans. Even Oberon and Titania. She controls everything there. If I were to dare show my face there, she'd subvert me in a second. I'm only here because I escaped. But that's not all. She's subverting the human world as well, and I have to stop her. This book shows me how, but it's so much gibberish. I have to see through this prophecy."  
  
"Hmm. That's a very draining spell. I can understand why doing it in public would present a few problems," Owen rubbed his chin.  
  
"Your nonchalantness amazes me, Puck."  
  
"Thank you. In this line of work, it is an asset, I assure you," Owen retorted. He sat down. "Cast your spell, Ariel. I'll do my work elsewhere. Please excuse me." Gathering his papers, he left the office, leaving Ariel alone. With a wave, the door closed.  
  
Ariel opened the book, and began to get to work. The spell to see through a prophecy was a very complicated one. First, he would have to see through to its meaning. All the images involved would come through at once, and then sort themselves out into a meaningful form. It was very draining, and after it was done, he would need some rest. Sighing, he took a look at the volume, and brushed his hands together. With an impish grin, he cracked his knuckles, and flipped through the pages.  
  
Finally, he was ready. "Message in this ancient tome/Thy meaning I cannot discern alone/So I bid thee, without haste or fear/Make thy meaning crystal clear!" he chanted. In response, a whirling green light erupted from the book and flowed into Ariel, drowning him. And amidst it all, the meaning became clear.  
  
************************************************************************   
  
He saw the banishment of Silhouette once more, saw her return to the world, and what she had done to Avalon.  
  
Then, he saw what she was doing now. An image flowed past, of people walking down a busy city street, while one or two spread the shadow sickness amongst everyone. Soon, everyone in the street was subverted, and then the city itself began to change. A black mist flowed all throughout it, pervading and sickening everything it touched. Plants withered away as it touched them. Life came to a standstill. Gone was the hustle and bustle of city life. The blue sky and bright sun above were gone. Instead, there was the mist, and above it, an angry red sky, and a pale white sun. The people were all subverted. Everyone was walking around the streets, lashing out at each other, the hate churning off of them in waves.  
  
The scene changed, and he saw the Western Hemisphere of the Earth. Angry black clouds hovered over isolated pockets all across it, but New York City was enveloped in the shadow curtain. And as he watched, the clouds spread all over the world, until the entire planet was cloaked in shadow. I'm watching what's going to happen, Ariel thought. I'm seeing the future.  
  
Then, the scene changed again. He saw New York City, normal, as it should be. Suddenly, he saw a castle, and four statues. Gargoyles. They came to life, and he realized he was seeing four of the six he needed to call. One was plump, a turquoise color, and he came to life with a fearsome roar, warning those who might threaten his family and friends and home what was in store for them. Another was a very attractive female, lavender, with dark hair, but her eyes spoke of honesty and virtue. Still another was a brownish shade, short, and bald, restless and excited. And the final one was crimson, with a beak, and a shock of white hair, and the others all seemed to follow his advice. The Protector, the Truthfinder, the Traveler and the Leader. That's who they are. They live in a castle. Remember them! Ariel ordered himself.  
  
The scene shifted. Now, he was seeing a forest, where several gargoyles were sitting around a campfire, generally having a good time. One of them was sitting apart, staring into the distance, taking flight and disappearing. She was a young female who looked a little like the female in New York, except that she was a vibrant teal color. She had jet black hair, and wore a jacket and loose fitting blue jeans...a contrast to the loincloths that most gargoyles Ariel had ever encountered before wore. As she spoke, he heard one word..."Clayoquot." Briefly superimposed over the scene was the light of a large, silvery ring.  
  
She's the Ringbearer. Ariel thought.  
  
Again the backdrop changed...to Avalon. Several gargoyles were there as well. The scene seemed to focus on one particular green gargoyle, who appeared to have an unusual horn plate growing out of her head. The scene shimmered, showing her picking up a mask and holding it against her face. I know her. She's one of the gargoyles who guards Avalon...Ophelia is her name. Ophelia . She's the Illusionist.  
  
Then, all of this was upstaged by one image, the silver ring, which broke into six pieces. As Ariel watched, each piece was taken by a hand... each of the six gargoyles took a piece, and joined them together. As they did so, shadows poured out of the ring, and a battle began.  
  
One more image...himself, alone in a dark, subverted castle. He picked up a page out of a book, and vanished. Nearby, he saw a shadowy shape of a female gargoyle, unlike any of the ones he'd seen before. Then, the images began to jumble together, and Ariel watched them all.  
  
As he did so, the spell worked its magic, and he understood exactly what he had to do.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
45 Minutes from Now  
  
Ariel came out of the trance, with his purpose clear in mind. He knew what he had to do, and he knew where to find all six of the gargoyles. In fact, four of them roosted on this very building. The coincidence of that was not lost on Ariel.  
  
But, anyway, he supposed he should go and explain to those four what was expected of them. He glanced at the clock on the wall, and blanched. It was almost 8:30 at night! He'd been out for six hours!  
  
Amazed, he vanished and rematerialized at the top of the building, on Castle Wyvern. Which, surprisingly, had since become a battle zone.  
  
Then, three distinct ringing sounds echoed through his mind. That means I've found them, he thought. Four of the gargoyles are here.  
  
Silhouette and about twenty of her subverted followers were there, standing perfectly still. On the other side of the courtyard were the gargoyles. His four were there, the ones he needed, as well as a huge lavender one, an aging, brown one, and a bluish gargoyle dog.  
  
One of them was dead.  
  
It was the red one, the Leader. His normally brick red cheeks were showing an interesting shade of asphyxiated blue. Apparently Silhouette and her shadow tricks had suffocated him, no doubt. The Truthfinder was cradling the Leader's head in her lap, apparently in a deep state of shock. The Traveler was trying to find a pulse in vain, and the Protector was staring at the scene in silent rage. The other two gargoyles were doing the same. There were several humans there as well. A young woman, crying openly, a man with dark hair and a ponytail, who was looking very angry and intensely sad at the same time, and another man, with red hair, who was unconscious. Puck was there as well, staring at Silhouette incredulously. Silhouette looked annoyingly unrepentant.  
  
Suddenly, the lavender gargoyle...the larger one...looked to Silhouette. "YOU MURDERER!" he screamed, his voice choked with emotion. Silhouette laughed. The gargoyle charged her, and the two began to fight. The subverted jumped in, and wrestled him off of the demon.  
  
Quickly, Ariel thought of something in the prophecy. And then, an idea came to him. Instantly, he teleported to the courtyard.  
  
"STOP!" he screamed. Everyone stopped, and looked at him.  
  
************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************  
  
Chapter Four - The Battle  
  
Mt. Morris Park (Now)  
  
Hudson sighed. "We should be heading back for the castle soon," he called.  
  
Brooklyn looked back. "We've got another 45 minutes. Plenty of time to get back to the Upper East Side. Besides, we should try to meet up with Goliath."  
  
Hudson nodded. "He may not be done with Elisa yet."  
  
Brooklyn smirked. Hudson frowned. "Oh, you know what I mean."  
  
The younger gargoyle chuckled. The two were about to leave when they saw a distinctive gargoyle shape fly overhead. They looked to each other, and nodded. Brooklyn jumped up to a low hanging tree branch, and took off from there, while Hudson climbed precariously onto an iron gate fence and jumped. He almost didn't catch the updraft, but managed to keep airborne.  
  
As the two caught up with the gargoyle, they saw it was Goliath. He wasn't interested in waiting for them though...he was hurtling northward at a breakneck speed.  
  
"Wait up!" Brooklyn called. Goliath looked back, and beckoned for Brooklyn to speed up. Brooklyn griped about it for a second, but accelerated. Hudson complied as well, looking curious as to the rush.  
  
"Where's the fire?" Brooklyn asked.  
  
"Yankee Stadium," Goliath replied. "There were reports of gargoyles there, and Matt was forced to send out the strike team. It may be Broadway, Lexington and Angela. We have to warn them to get out of there."  
  
"Let's not waste time then. How far are we from the stadium?" Hudson asked.  
  
"It's just down there, across the East River," Brooklyn pointed out. The three dove down, hoping that they wouldn't be too late.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Yankee Stadium  
  
"Scatter!" Lexington shouted as a group of the creatures attacked. The three ran in different directions, confusing the things, but the effect was momentary. Soon, the attackers had split into three groups, two against one.  
  
"This strategy isn't working!" Angela called.  
  
"We can't organize anything else! They're too fast!" Broadway returned, hitting one of the things. Almost in response, the creatures made a circle around the three gargoyles, and began to close in.  
  
"This'll take coordination." Broadway warned. Understanding, Lexington and Angela nodded. The three took a deep breath, and plowed their way through the shadows. They made it through, and turned to confront them again.  
  
"Why won't they stay down?" Lexington asked in annoyance.  
  
"It's incredible! No matter what we do, they keep coming on for more!" Broadway gaped.  
  
Suddenly, they heard a call from above. They turned, and saw three gargoyle shapes heading for them. "It's the others!" Angela pointed.  
  
"Now we can even out these numbers." Lexington smiled.  
  
But instead of helping, the others swooped overhead so the three could hear them. "We've got to get out of here!" Brooklyn shouted from above, cupping his hands.  
  
"The task force is coming!" Hudson added.  
  
Wordlessly, the three grounded gargoyles looked at each other. They ran for the outside wall of the stadium, and used their claws to climb up to the first ledge. They soared off, gaining enough altitude to join Brooklyn, Goliath and Hudson.  
  
"Father, those creatures!" Angela exclaimed.  
  
"They were unstoppable!" Lexington added.  
  
"We don't have time for that now. Here comes the task force," Goliath hissed. He pointed at the stream of police cars driving up the Major Deegan Expressway. "They're almost here."  
  
The gargoyles turned eastward, away from the stadium. As the gargoyle task force's sirens grew louder, the shadow creatures scattered. The first cars drove up a couple of minutes later. Matt Bluestone and John Morgan stepped out, and looked around. "Nothing here," Bluestone sighed. He looked to Morgan (who knew all about the gargoyles, too) and mouthed 'Thank God'.  
  
Morgan turned around. "Matt, there's a woman over there. I think she's unconscious."  
  
More cars pulled up. Matt and John ran to the woman, and examined her. "Regular pulse, normal breathing. Not a mark on her. She looks like she's in shock," John reported.  
  
"Get her feet up. I'll get a blanket. We'll take her back with us," Matt sighed. He looked up to the sky. You guys are lucky, he thought. One of these days, I won't be able to get you a warning. "Let's go," Matt waved. John picked up the woman, and brought her gently to the car.  
  
Matt picked up the radio. "False alarm, guys. Back to unit."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
The subverted were hiding in the bushes near the stadium when she arrived.  
  
"Where are they?" Silhouette asked.  
  
The shadows looked at each other. "They escaped, my lady," one of them replied.  
  
Silhouette scowled. Creatures immune to subversion...this could be serious. "Do you know where they were heading?" she asked. The shadows shook their heads. "Mmm. I can see that you're useless, as well as monumentally stupid. Well, I guess I'll have to do this myself" she said, more to herself than to the shadows. Sighing, she sent out a mental message to all the subverted, everywhere in the Tristate Area. Where are the gargoyles? she projected.  
  
The message echoed through all the subverted's minds. That meant almost twenty-five hundred people. And one person answered.  
  
Fox Xanatos stood at her window. She was contemplating throwing her wedding ring out the window just for the hell of it, when she heard the message. For a brief instant, the old Fox, the real one wanted to scream "Don't tell her!" but it was to no avail. The shadow Fox returned the message. I don't know where they are right now, but they'll return to the castle on top of the Eyrie Building eventually, she projected back. She sighed and stepped away from the window.  
  
Silhouette, receiving the message, smiled. "Does anyone want to tell me where the Eyrie Building is?"  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Temporary 23rd Precinct House  
  
Matt Bluestone shut his office door, and nearly collapsed. No sooner had he taken his coat off when Elisa burst in the door, looking concerned. She shut the door and turned to him. "Did Goliath get there in time?" she asked.  
  
Matt sighed. "I guess so. There was no one there when we got there, except for some woman who fainted. We sent her home, but she told us that there was a group of seven strange people with black eyes trying to kill her, when a small little gargoyle came and starting beating them up. The gargoyle was trying to save her, she said. The night watchman in the stadium got the dispatch wrong."  
  
Elisa breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good then." Suddenly, she perked up. "Strange people with black eyes?"  
  
"Yeah. She was pretty hysterical."  
  
"That's odd. Remember the bag lady who came in here yesterday complaining that the black eyed people were harassing her?"  
  
"Yeah..." Matt pondered, drawing a connection. "And the other day, that domestic assault case, where the husband had coal black eyes. The wife said that he'd used to have blue eyes, but they'd turned black a couple of hours before. And that as soon as they did, he got violent."  
  
"Something odd is going on. And if the gargoyles know anything about it..." Elisa began.  
  
"We should talk to them. Where would they be though?"  
  
"I think they might have gone back to the castle," Elisa offered.  
  
"It's a start." Matt agreed. He put his coat on. "Do you want a lift?"  
  
************************************************************************  
  
The Eyrie Building  
  
"And they had the oddest black eyes," Lexington explained, shuddering.  
  
"What was really weird, though, was when they stared at us. Little beams of darkness spread from their eyes and came into us," Angela added.  
  
"It felt like they were trying to get into our heads," Broadway exclaimed. "Like they wanted to become part of us."  
  
"They had a news report about that last night on the television," Hudson mused. "Something about a strange disease in Richmond that turned people's eyes black and made them vicious."  
  
"That was it, then. We came in contact with some carriers of this disease, and they tried to spread it to us. But they failed, because we didn't get infected," Lexington snapped his talons.  
  
"Yet," Brooklyn pointed out. "For all we know, it could be dormant in your system, but you just haven't got symptoms yet."  
  
"We don't have it," Angela frowned, defensively.  
  
"Perhaps not. But I think we should err on the side of caution, just to make sure," Goliath decided. "We'll keep an eye on you three. At the first sign of trouble, we'll intervene." The three grumbled a bit at this, but agreed. "Well," Goliath crossed his arms. "Perhaps we should resume nightly patrols, after all. Evil seems to have been at work during our...hiatus."  
  
"While the cat's away, the mouse will play," Broadway nodded.  
  
"We should be careful, though. We don't want to have to make escape from the task force a nightly occurrence," Brooklyn sighed.  
  
"Agreed. We'll have to keep out of sight except in emergencies," Hudson pointed out.  
  
"Good point. I think we should go out on patrol once more tonight. For a longer period of time. In two hours, we'll go. In the meantime," Goliath smiled. "Take a break. You've earned it." The gargoyles nodded, and walked off.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Fox stood watching all of this from a spot in the shadows. In a few seconds, Silhouette and seven of the shadows appeared behind her. "Excellent, my child," Silhouette smiled patronizingly as Fox pointed out the gargoyles. "You've done well."  
  
She turned to the shadows behind her. "You remain here. Keep an eye on them. Don't let them out of your sight. And you," she said, turning back to Fox. "How many of the converted work in this building?"  
  
"About twenty." Fox replied.  
  
"Good. I shall call them, and we'll subvert the gargoyles together. We can't have resistance around." She projected a thought at all of the subverted in the Eyrie Building, telling them to come to the castle. In a second, twenty shadowy forms billowed up into the night air, and solidified into people. Silhouette explained the situation, and told them of what they were going to do. The subverted all nodded. "Good," Silhouette brightened. "Let's hop to it, then."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Goliath sat on the parapet, looking into the night, and sighed. Life was so complicated nowadays. What I wouldn't give to be back in my own time, just for a little while, he thought. Not to stay, of course...he loved this time too, but sometimes got sick of all the hassles it contained.  
  
"Excuse me," came a voice from behind him. Goliath turned around. Almost thirty people stood there. Fox Xanatos was among them. And they all had black eyes.  
  
"Who..." he began, and then he was blasted with a shadow bolt. With a cry, he tumbled off the parapet, and smashed into the courtyard below. Groggily, he got up, and saw shadows before him waver and become the people from the top of the tower.  
  
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Silhouette, and these are my Servants of Twilight," the leader of the intruders proclaimed. "And you, my friend, are dead." Silhouette blasted a shadow at him again, hitting him squarely in the chest. He cried out, and the other gargoyles ran out from inside the castle.  
  
"It's those things from the stadium!" Broadway cried.  
  
"And they're attacking Goliath!" Hudson exclaimed, drawing his sword. "He doesn't have a chance against so many. We've got to help him."  
  
With a battle cry, all of the gargoyles' eyes lit up, and they rushed into the battle. But it was still not even close to fair, with at least four against one. Brooklyn and Angela rushed to help Goliath up. He roared, and punched Silhouette. His fist went right through her.  
  
"Temper," Silhouette replied darkly. Suddenly, all of the shadows began to melt together into a spiral. Whirling faster and faster, they encircled the gargoyles, firing blast after blast at them. The battle was not going well.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Elisa and Matt pulled up to the building, talking excitedly over what was going on. Matt had been monitoring police reports on the radio, and, over the ten-minute drive to the Eyrie Building, five calls had been fielded concerning black-eyed people. One domestic assault, one armed robbery, two muggings, and one traffic violation.  
  
"This is weird, Matt. What is going on?" Elisa asked, turning off the radio.  
  
"I have no idea. Let's just hope your friends are a little more informed," Matt sighed, unbuckling his seat belt. He opened the door and got out. Elisa did the same, fishing her pass card out of her pocket. The two walked into the lobby.  
  
At the front desk, the security guard halted them. "Good evening, folks. What can I do for you?" he asked. Elisa flashed the card. Seeing it, the guard waved them on cheerfully.  
  
"Charming," Matt whispered as they entered the elevator. They stopped at the very top, in what were once the Princess Katherine's chambers. As the door opened, they came face to face with Owen Burnett.  
  
"Good evening, detectives," Owen greeted. Elisa and Matt nodded.  
  
"Is Xanatos expecting us, or something?" Elisa queried.  
  
"No. I just got out of the other elevator," Owen replied. "I'm on my way to the nursery to tend to Alexander."  
  
"Aha. Well, we're here to talk to the guys anyway, so...it was nice talking to you," Elisa grinned.  
  
Owen allowed a small smile in reply. "Indeed. It was a pleasure talking with you. Excuse me," He turned, and walked away, in the direction of the nursery. Matt started walking in a wooden pace, doing an exaggerated imitation of Owen.  
  
Elisa laughed. "You're nuts."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
As Owen opened the door to the nursery, Xanatos came out.  
  
"Don't bother, Owen. He's asleep," David whispered, pointing to the baby.  
  
"Yes. Well, then, I shall resume my other duties. Good evening, sir," Owen reported.  
  
Suddenly, David clasped his hand on Owen's shoulder. "Owen...have you seen Fox around?"  
  
"She was headed for the roof of the castle ten minutes ago. I would assume she's still there."  
  
David looked away, as if wondering how to word what he was going to say. "Owen...do you find she's been acting peculiar over the last couple of hours?"  
  
Owen thought for a second. "Yes, I do. She seemed incredibly preoccupied, much more driven than usual."  
  
"That's not all. A little while ago, she blew up at Alex. I thought she was going to hit him."  
  
"Do you think we should investigate?" Owen asked.  
  
Xanatos smiled. "I was about to suggest the same thing."  
  
As they reached the stairwell to the tower, they ran into Elisa and Matt. "Good evening, Detective Maza, Detective Bluestone. How are you?" Xanatos blinked, somewhat surprised to see them.  
  
"Wha...are you two following us around, or something?" Matt asked.  
  
"Actually, we're going up to look for Fox. She's been acting strangely lately, and we want to find out why," Xanatos explained.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Elisa asked.  
  
"She's experienced behavioral changes," Owen elaborated.  
  
Suddenly, something clicked in Elisa's mind. "Did either of you notice if her eyes have changed color?" she asked.  
  
"Yes. They should be brown, but they've darkened to black. Is that important?" Xanatos asked, suddenly concerned. Elisa broke into a sprint, dashing up the stairs. As she did so, she pulled out her gun. "What the hell are you doing?" Xanatos yelled, seeing the gun. He dashed up after her. Owen and Matt glanced at each other, and followed.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
The shadows whirled faster, and faster. As the shadow bolts struck gargoyle after gargoyle, they roared in pain and anger. Suddenly, Goliath burst through the twister, roaring. Screeches of pain came from the shadows. Seeing the result, the others followed suit. The shadows recorperated into their vaguely human forms. At that moment, Elisa, Xanatos, Owen and Matt ran out, into the danger zone.  
  
Silhouette noticed the intrusion first. "Servants!" she yelled.  
  
All the combatants looked to the door. "Oh no...not now..." Brooklyn gulped.  
  
"Elisa! Get back! They're dangerous!" Goliath screamed, urging her to get out of danger.  
  
David blinked as he saw Fox in the group of shadows. "FOX?" he questioned, running to her. In response, Fox blasted him. David was knocked backwards, nearly cracking his head into the wall. He got up, and looked incredulously at his wife. Fox looked at him, as if to say 'So what?' and smiled.  
  
Elisa pointed her gun at her. "What's going on here?"  
  
Silhouette frowned. "Subvert them."  
  
"No!" Broadway shouted. He tackled Silhouette, knocking her down.  
  
She screamed, and kicked him off of her. "Nevermind the humans. Subvert him!" she screeched, pointing at Broadway. She stared at Broadway, and a line of darkness emerged from her eyes. It snaked towards Broadway's unprotected face, and plunged into his eyes. Broadway's eyes tentatively darkened, but they brightened to white before it could complete. "What? Why can you not be subverted!" Silhouette screamed. She blasted a bolt of shadow right at his chest.  
  
"Oh!" Broadway cried as it hit squarely. Silhouette waved, and Broadway was picked up and thrown into the wall. Blast after blast hit into him, muffling his cries of pain.  
  
"Get away from him!" Angela shouted, tackling her. The shadow things rushed to get her off of Silhouette, but Elisa fired a bullet directly into their midst. Shocked, they were driven back.  
  
"Are you crazy? Fox is in there!" Xanatos yelled, getting up. He moved to grab the gun.  
  
"That thing isn't your wife anymore! Can't you see that?" Matt yelled. He restrained him, wincing as Xanatos struggled.  
  
"I've seen enough," Owen smiled. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and Owen was gone. In his place stood Puck.  
  
"A battle like this must be placing the baby in danger," Puck smirked. "Far be it from me to shirk my duty as protector." He fired a ray of light at Silhouette. She screamed, and fired a shadow back. Puck was thrown backwards, dazed.  
  
"Some help he was," Lexington remarked dryly. The gargoyles took the distraction to grab Angela and Broadway, and move in front of the humans.  
  
"I grow weary of this. I want to know why you gargoyles cannot be subverted. Tell me! What protects you!" Silhouette screamed darkly.  
  
They all hesitated. What was she talking about?  
  
"Tell me, or so help me, I'll kill you all where you stand!" Silhouette yelled, her rage overpowering her. Brooklyn thought for a second. Perhaps, a bluff might work...and they might convince this person to leave them alone. Brooklyn stepped forward. "Magic," he lied.  
  
Silhouette stopped. "What magic?" she asked, looking at him warily. Brooklyn gulped. He whispered a silent prayer that his bluff would work. He looked back. Everyone was staring at him, their expressions saying, 'Go for it.'  
  
He sighed. "I was hoping it would stay secret, but magic protects all of us. We cast a spell that protects us from evil magic. You can't.subvert us, whatever that means. No matter how hard you try, you can't. You saw what happened to Broadway."  
  
Silhouette seemed to calm down. "I suppose. From what I've seen, you cannot be subverted. So, I must accept that."  
  
Brooklyn suddenly felt a premonition of danger. Something's not right...he thought.  
  
Silhouette sighed. "You'll have to be destroyed, then." As her words, a beam of shadow spread out from her, and wrapped around Brooklyn's neck. He gasped, and then panicked as it tightened.  
  
"No!" Lexington cried. Bronx began to growl in fear. The gargoyles rushed to his aid, but the shadow people blasted them, and held them back. They were helpless to save Brooklyn. Silhouette tightened. Brooklyn gasped, desperately trying to find enough air, but couldn't. He sank to his knees. "Help..." he hissed.  
  
The shadow tightened further. The last traces of air slipped from reach, and the only thing Brooklyn could see was Silhouette's face...becoming the face of death itself, patiently waiting for Brooklyn to slip into the dark. Brooklyn was suddenly paralyzed with fear. Matt pulled his gun, and aimed at Silhouette. Fox blasted him, and he flew backwards into the wall. His head hit the stone, and he was knocked out.  
  
Brooklyn suddenly saw a bright light. His eyes widened. He knew what was happening. That's the light, he thought. The light they say you see when you die. I'm going to die.  
  
Silhouette tightened again. Brooklyn felt himself slipping away. The light brightened. He could hear everyone screaming his name, but from afar, as if through a stone wall. A feeling of peace came over him. The light grew in intensity, and the pressure lifted off of his throat. He could see nothing but ethereal whiteness.  
  
One final time, he could hear everyone shout at him, and then they were silent. Brooklyn wanted to shout back at them that he was all right, not to worry, he'd be OK. But somehow, he couldn't hear himself say it.  
  
An image brightened, and he suddenly saw the castle. As it was in Scotland, in the tenth century. Instinctively, Brooklyn knew that there were no such things as Vikings there, that the humans and the gargoyles were all really great friends, and that everyone was going to be so glad to see him. The prodigal son returned. Broadway, Lexington and Hudson came, and helped him up. They walked with him for a while, welcoming him home, saying that they were going to have a banquet in his honor, just for returning. Goliath was there too, and Bronx, and they were urging him on, calling him home. Home. Yes, that's it. I'm finally going home. Brooklyn thought.  
  
Then, he slipped away, and was gone.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Silhouette released him. Brooklyn crumpled to the ground, limply. His cheeks were blue. The gargoyles, Elisa, Xanatos and Puck all ran to him.  
  
Lexington touched his neck, feeling for a pulse. There wasn't one. He began CPR. Fifteen compressions and two breaths...fifteen compressions and two breaths...fifteen compressions and two breaths...fifteen compressions and two breaths... No pulse.  
  
"Damnit, don't die on us, Brooklyn!" Lexington cried, the tears welling up.  
  
Angela knelt down, and cradled his head. "Brooklyn..." she whispered.  
  
Silhouette stepped back, and crossed her arms. How entertaining.  
  
Goliath, Hudson, and Broadway stood back, in shock. Bronx padded up to Brooklyn's body, and pushed at his arm with his snout. The arm fell back, weakly. Elisa began to cry. "Lex, he's all right...isn't he?" she asked, refusing to believe.  
  
"Come on, damnit!" Lexington yelled. He gave another round of CPR, again in vain.  
  
Xanatos knelt down. "Lexington...I think he's gone," he said softly. Even Puck looked incredibly sad.  
  
Lexington looked up, crying openly. "I...I can't do anything. He's..."  
  
Goliath tightened his fists. "Brooklyn...you died trying to save us... " he said softly. Then he turned to Silhouette. "YOU MURDERER!" he shouted, his voice cracking. He rushed Silhouette, and knocked her over. The shadows jumped in, and dragged Goliath off.  
  
"You wish to join him, do you?" Silhouette hissed, getting up.  
  
Then, there was a flash of light. "STOP!" somebody yelled. Everybody turned.  
  
A Child of Oberon stood there. "Ariel?" Puck asked.  
  
"Against the rules, Sil," Ariel chided, wagging a finger at her. "I thought you would have known that."  
  
************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************  
  
Chapter Five - The Prophecy  
  
"Against the rules? What are you babbling about now, Ariel?" Silhouette sighed.  
  
"It's in the prophecy, Sil. 'The shadow demon's magic herself cannot harm them, until the ring is whole once more.' Pity. If the ring wasn't broken, or if you'd done it with your hands, it might be able to stand. But, as it is now..." Ariel said, patronizing, not knowing for sure whether she had used magic or not to kill the gargoyle. He hoped she did, otherwise, nothing could be done.  
  
"What?" Silhouette stared, looking at him as though he were an idiot.  
  
"All right, let's put this another way. Did you use magic to kill him?" Ariel asked, pointing at the gargoyle's still form.  
  
"Yes. What about it?"  
  
"There you go. 'The shadow demon's magic'...Sil, next time, remember to check the prophecies."  
  
"Prophecies...Ariel, my patience is wearing thin. If you do not explain what you're talking about, I'll kill you. Just like that beast there," Silhouette growled.  
  
"I'll show you beast, you..." Hudson yelled, grief stricken, but the others held him back.  
  
"I think he's trying to help us," Angela claimed.  
  
"Right you are, Truthfinder. But first...we have to make darkness see," Ariel nodded. He made a gesture, and a beam of green light spread from his fingertips into Silhouette. The shadow creatures stiffened, and prepared to defend her, but Silhouette made a waving motion, beckoning them back.  
  
After a couple of minutes, she frowned. "Prophecies. Ariel, you're basing all this on a nine hundred year old madman's ravings."  
  
"If there wasn't a genuine prophecy in it, the spell I cast to make me understand wouldn't work. Really now, you're just grasping at straws because you've lost."  
  
Silhouette sighed. "True. But, you know it won't make any difference. If they find the ring, then their immunity goes, and I can kill them with a thought."  
  
"But then they'll have a chance...and even if you do, then you'll be able to be satisfied in knowing you got your victory fair and square," Ariel pointed out.  
  
Silhouette sighed. "Fine, Ariel. I agree to work through the prophecy's confines. But remember...even prophecies have loopholes," With that, she and the shadow creatures disappeared. But as she left, one phrase echoed throughout the night. "I'll see you in Avalon, Ariel," came Silhouette's voice, and then a crazed laugh lofted through the night.  
  
Ariel turned to the gargoyles, still gathered around Brooklyn's body. "Nevermind her. She may have all of those powers, but she's still the same old bag of wind. Puck! It's nice to see you in a more becoming form!"  
  
Puck frowned, and pointed to Brooklyn.  
  
"Oh, Puck, I'm not going to forget him. Still, I guess the sooner, the better."  
  
"What are you going to do?" Broadway asked, feeling an unreasonable hope rising in him.  
  
Ariel rolled his eyes. "Think, Protector. I spent five minutes arguing with Sil about how she wasn't allowed to kill him like this. What do you do if something's against the rules? You make it right. Step back, please," The gargoyles, Elisa and Xanatos stepped back in shocked silence. Ariel cleared his throat. "Thou were taken unjustly from this life/But Ariel can mend this without much strife/I call thee back, from the next world to this/And change all this rampant sorrow to bliss!" he chanted. A beam of gray light blasted from his mouth, and passed through Brooklyn's lips.  
  
"What's happening?" Elisa asked.  
  
"Ssh. Wait and see," Ariel chided.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Brooklyn stepped through the castle gates. There was a glowing ethereal light surrounding all the people and gargoyles inside, and, as he watched, a white nimbus surrounded him as well. He felt a sense of overwhelming peace and happiness...but also a feeling of confusion. I'm dead. I must be. Is this the afterlife? Brooklyn looked about. It seemed pretty conclusive that it was.  
  
Then suddenly, the light began to fade. Brooklyn looked in confusion. What was going on? There was a rush of wind, and then an echoing voice reverberated all through the castle. "Thou were taken unjustly from this life/But Ariel can mend this without much strife/I call thee back, from the next world to this/And change all the rampant sorrow to bliss!" came the voice, and suddenly, Brooklyn was sure that whoever it was, they were talking to him.  
  
In reply, he felt a rushing sound, and the light faded. Then there was only blackness.  
  
But Brooklyn knew why. His eyes were closed.  
  
Weakly, his eyes fluttered open. Goliath, Hudson, Lexington, Broadway, Angela, Elisa, Bronx, Xanatos, Puck, and somebody else were all gathered around him. He tried to say something, but only coughed, and had to take a mouthful of sweet, sweet air.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Goliath was the first to notice Brooklyn's eyelids opening. At first, he attributed it to a trick of the light, but then Brooklyn coughed, and took in a huge, gasping breath of air, and there was no doubt. "Jalapena! You're alive!" Goliath yelled, choked with joy. The other's eyes widened, and then the yelling began. Everyone began saying something at once, most of it a babble of joy and relief.  
  
Brooklyn looked confused, but then began to cough violently, and gasp for air. "That's not a good sign," Hudson noted, concerned.  
  
"We should get him inside. This chilly air can't be doing much for his lungs," Broadway suggested.  
  
Ariel snapped his fingers, and the entire group was suddenly in one of Xanatos' guestrooms. Brooklyn was on the bed, coughing up a storm, but otherwise OK.  
  
"I was..." Brooklyn wheezed, but then coughed again.  
  
"Ssh," Angela silenced him. "Don't say anything. You just need a few minutes to catch your breath, and you should be fine."  
  
"I can't believe you're alive!" Lexington exclaimed, beaming. Broadway, Hudson, Goliath and Elisa had similar expressions. Angela looked concerned over his coughing, but looked genuinely happy that he was back. Bronx was nuzzling up against his still cold hand, and even Xanatos looked very pleased and relieved, yet concerned over something else. Matt was still unconscious on the floor, but he looked like he was coming around. Brooklyn took a few deep breaths, and coughed some more. In a few minutes, though, he was simply breathing a little more shallowly than usual.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Goliath asked.  
  
"I've got an awful headache, my throat hurts, and I can barely talk," Brooklyn explained, in little more than a croaking whisper. "Can I have a drink of water?" Lexington ran to get him one. He returned, and Brooklyn eagerly took the glass. "I was dead, wasn't I?" Brooklyn swallowed. "That demon killed me, and I was really dead."  
  
Ariel smiled. "Yes, you were. But fortunately for you, Leader, she broke the rules in doing so."  
  
"Why are you calling us these names?" Angela asked. "You called me the truthfinder, Broadway the protector, and Brooklyn the leader. Why is that?"  
  
"And what's all this talk about 'breaking the rules'?" Elisa questioned.  
  
"More importantly, what's happened to Fox?" Xanatos fretted, upset.  
  
Ariel waved them aside. "I'll answer all these questions in time. But let me first start by saying that these four," he pointed at Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington and Angela "are four of the most important people in the entire world right now." The four he'd indicated looked at each other in confusion. Matt was awake by now, and Puck went to see if he was all right. He was, and immediately asked was going on. Puck shushed him and pointed to Brooklyn, whispering 'he's all right, just shut up and listen'.  
  
"A long time ago, in the late tenth century as you reckon time, Silhouette was just a Child of Oberon, who I got in an awful lot of fights with. As a result, she was banished for eternity into a place of darkness by Lord Oberon. But something happened...I don't know, and it isn't really important...and she broke free. She's subverted everyone on Avalon..."  
  
"Subverted?" Elisa asked.  
  
"What's happened to Fox. That's subversion."  
  
"Oh no." Angela whispered, involuntarily. Elisa and Goliath had similar expressions of shock. Bronx whimpered in fright.  
  
"I know, Truthfinder," Ariel sighed, sympathetically.  
  
"Call me Angela, please. That name makes me nervous. But...everyone? The Guardian? The Princess? Gabriel? Ophelia? Are they like those creatures we fought?"  
  
Ariel shook his head. "The first three I don't know about, but I can tell you that Ophelia is safe from Silhouette's magic, anyway. She's the same as you...very important, and subverting or killing her by magical means is as against the rules as it would be to subvert or kill any of you. As it WAS to kill the Leader."  
  
"Brooklyn." Brooklyn corrected.  
  
"Brooklyn. Whatever. The point is, Sil controls Avalon. But she wants Earth as well. Silhouette is what happened to Fox. She has the power to take control of people's souls, to corrupt them into creatures as dark hearted as she is. It's real frightening...but it's also real, and that's the threat. Not Silhouette, but rather what will happen if she's left unchecked. If you don't stop her, the entire world will become like your wife, Mr. Xanatos," Ariel warned darkly.  
  
"We have to stop her?" Goliath asked.  
  
"No. You don't. These four do." Ariel pointed at the younger gargoyles. "You four have to save the world."  
  
Angela, Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington looked at each other, shocked and confused.  
  
"Long ago," Ariel began again, "an old man wrote a prophecy which detailed what has happened already, and what must be done to stop it. It was mostly gibberish, but I was able to cast a spell to discover the hidden meaning of his words. According to him, six gargoyles...four being found in New York City, one on Avalon, and one somewhere in British Columbia...would be called to stop it. Each one would have a special power. Lexington there was designated as the Traveler, because he would be given the ability to travel through space, to take the group where they needed to be. Broadway was called the Protector, because the responsibility of protecting the group from the evil of the subverted was his. Angela was the Truthfinder, because she would be able to see through the illusions designed to keep the group from accomplishing their missions. And Brooklyn was to be the Leader, because on him would be the task of leading the group. The two others...Ophelia of Avalon being one, and whoever this other one is being the other...were designated as the Illusionist, because Ophelia would be given the ability to hide the group from what threatened it, and the other one being the most important...the Ringbearer.  
  
"The only way to destroy Silhouette is to rebanish her, and the only way to do that is to use Oberon's Ring. It bound her, but when she escaped, it was shattered into six fragments. The quest of the six gargoyles would be to travel in search of the six pieces, join them, and battle Silhouette. If she were defeated, she would not be a threat any longer. If she won, then the world would be hers. The six pieces were scattered about, but the Traveler's power should take you to them. They have to be collected in order, and the only thing I've been able to gather about their whereabouts is that the first one is on Avalon."  
  
"I still don't understand this breaking the rules business," Elisa asked.  
  
Ariel rolled his eyes. "One of the lines in the prophecy is saying something to the effect of Silhouette's magic not being able to hurt the six. But only those six. If she'd tried to subvert you, or Goliath, or even Puck, she would have succeeded, because you aren't even mentioned. Even me...I'm not immune either, and I don't understand why she didn't try to get me. But when she killed Brooklyn, she had two things against her. She killed him herself, and she used magic to do it. If she'd done it by conventional means, there would have been nothing I could do. Brooklyn would have been dead for good, and the prophecy would have failed. Since the leader would have been killed, Silhouette would have won by default. You are extremely lucky, Brooklyn."  
  
"Yeah," Brooklyn whispered. "I'm counting my blessings, all right."  
  
Ariel ignored this. "So essentially, what must be done is these four must come with me. We have to collect the other two gargoyles, and then you must find the pieces of the ring. Then, you have to fight Silhouette, and hope that you win."  
  
"What if we don't go?" Broadway asked.  
  
"Then what happened to Fox will happen to everybody else. But since the ring won't be complete, the six of you will not be able to be subverted, and you will be the only ones left in the entire world. I don't think that's a good option," Ariel shivered.  
  
"To put it mildly," Lexington added, picturing himself and the others alone in a world full of people like what Fox had become.  
  
"Can the people already subverted be saved?" Xanatos asked, worried about Fox.  
  
"I would assume that once Silhouette was defeated, then the people who have been taken would be restored. But we don't really have a lot of time for these questions. The four of you must decide whether you will come or not. It has to be unanimous, too. You all have important roles to play, preordained nine hundred years ago." Ariel looked to Brooklyn. "However, your death and return weren't expected. You'll need time to recuperate, so I will return tomorrow at sundown. By then, you have to decide. We're losing a whole day, so we'll have to work fast. Plus, any time we spend on Avalon, we'll lose twenty-four times as fast."  
  
Ariel stepped back. "I'll leave. Until sundown." With that, he vanished in a flash of light.  
  
Angela stood up. "I'm going. My rookery brothers and sisters are in danger on Avalon, and I'm not going to leave them to suffer at the hands of that...demon," she exclaimed, very emphatic.  
  
Broadway nodded his head. "I'm going too. We've seen what's going to happen to the world if we don't do anything. Everybody turned into those monsters! I can't be in a world like that."  
  
Goliath stood up. "We'll leave you alone to discuss this. But please choose wisely. We almost lost Brooklyn tonight...I don't want to lose all of you to a crazed, rogue Child of Oberon," He, Elisa, Hudson and Xanatos left. Puck changed back into Owen, and helped the still groggy Matt Bluestone out of the room. Bronx, however, refused to leave. Lexington smiled, and scratched the dog behind the ears. The door closed as the others left.  
  
"Well, I'm decided. How about you guys?" Broadway smiled nervously.  
  
"I'm...I'm really not sure," Lexington waffled. "I want to go, but I don't know if it's wise."  
  
"Of course it's wise. We'd be helping to save the world," Angela reassured.  
  
"Well, I've made up my mind," Brooklyn announced.  
  
"See? Lex, the three of us are going..." Broadway began, but Brooklyn cut him off.  
  
"I didn't say I was going, I said I made up my mind," Brooklyn corrected.  
  
"Brook, what are you saying?"  
  
Brooklyn cleared his throat. "I'm not going," he stated.  
  
************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************  
  
Chapter Six - Decisions  
  
"What do you mean, 'you're not going'?" Angela raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I'm. Not. Going." Brooklyn said his words very carefully and slowly.  
  
"Brooklyn, you heard what Ariel said! If we don't go, then the world will die! That's not what you want, is it?" Broadway asked incredulously.  
  
"Of course that's not what I want!" Brooklyn snapped. "But think about it...what proof do we have that this will save the world?"  
  
"Ariel said that..." Angela began.  
  
"Ariel said? What if he's subverted too, and this whole thing is a plot for Silhouette to get to us a different way because she can't subvert us? We're just assuming that this Ariel says he is who he is. He could be anything...from one of Silhouette's goons to one of Demona's schemes to one of Xanatos' new plots. I don't trust him."  
  
"Brooklyn, he did bring you back from the dead," Lexington pointed out.  
  
"I know. It's just..." Brooklyn struggled. "I have a hard time believing this story. There's too many 'maybes', and 'what ifs'."  
  
"So what do you want us to do, then?" Broadway snapped, impatient.  
  
"I don't know! Maybe there's another way to..."  
  
"For somebody who was just complaining about too many maybe's you're awfully liberal with them yourself."  
  
"Just let me say this! Maybe there's another way to stop her. Like iron. If she's a Child of Oberon, she's got to be vulnerable to iron, right?"  
  
"I guess, but..."  
  
"So, what if we used iron to defeat her?"  
  
Angela shook her head. "I don't think so. Matt pulled his gun at her, and she didn't seem too afraid."  
  
Brooklyn faltered. "All right, maybe that idea's a bust. But the point is, there's got to be an alternative."  
  
"What if there isn't?"  
  
"What if there is? And there's...there's too many risks. Even if the Ariel story is true, which, right now, is a big question mark, then according to this prophecy, as soon as we find this ring, we're vulnerable to her magic. She could just wait till we have the ring, and then kill us all with a thought," Brooklyn said, stammering a little on the word "kill".  
  
"Maybe. But I want to try. Maybe we can beat her, and if we can, we shouldn't be fighting over it. A gargoyle's duty is to protect, and we've been called to protect the world," Angela calmly stated.  
  
"Besides...we've been in lots of dangerous situations before, where you could have died, and you weren't scared. The Viking raid back at the castle, the Pack, Demona..." Broadway listed, suddenly guessing what the real reason was for Brooklyn's refusal.  
  
Brooklyn closed his eyes. "Why us, though? Why is it us that has to be called?"  
  
Lexington shrugged. "We can't question fate, Brooklyn. It might seem unfair, but we can't change it." By now, Lexington had all but decided to accept the role.  
  
"Well, I am questioning it, okay! Because it's not fair, and I don't want to do this," Brooklyn snapped.  
  
"Brooklyn," Angela began, moving in a little closer. "My friends are on Avalon right now, and they could be subverted. I want to do this because I want to help them, but I also want to see Silhouette pay for what she's doing. She's done a lot to you...don't you want to get her for that?"  
  
"Of course I want to get her! But I don't think this is the way," Brooklyn sighed. "Better to let someone else, who has a chance of succeeding do this, than us."  
  
"We'd have a chance..."  
  
"We wouldn't have a hope in hell," Brooklyn stated succinctly.  
  
Broadway suddenly sat down. "Brooklyn," he began. "What's the real reason you don't want to go?"  
  
"The real reason?"  
  
"The real reason. Why are you so dead set against confronting this, when we've gone against just as impossible odds before?" Brooklyn withdrew, and refused to say anything. "It's because of what she did, isn't it. She actually killed you, and you don't want to accept that it could happen again." Broadway hammered. Tears began to well up in the corners of Brooklyn's eyes.  
  
"Broadway...maybe we should leave him be." Lexington advised.  
  
Broadway didn't stop though. "You're afraid, that's what. You're afraid that she'll kill you again, and that this time it will all be over. Well, what about everything else? I know you're afraid, but you can't abandon everyone and everything else to protect yourself. You're supposed to be the Leader in this prophecy, Brook, and you aren't exactly inspiring confidence."  
  
"How about you go and get yourself killed then?" Brooklyn roared, his eyes flaring, all traces of hoarseness gone from his voice. "You don't know what it's like to be standing there and being unable to stop someone from sucking the life right out of you! You don't know how it felt not to be able to breathe, to be only able to whisper for help as somebody killed you when you were on your knees! You can't understand what's it's like to honestly die! And here you are calling me a coward because this person that you're so eager to run off and destroy actually killed me! Do you understand that? She actually killed me, Broadway, not just almost killed me, not just a near death experience, she actually killed me! The only reason I'm here right now is because some nut nine hundred years ago wrote that the way she killed me was against somebody's rules! How can you judge me for being afraid, Broadway? How can you sit there and look me in the eyes, and say that I'm not inspiring confidence when you weren't the one who got killed?" Brooklyn screamed, the tears flowing down his cheeks.  
  
Broadway instantly felt like a first class idiot. "Brooklyn...Brook, I'm sorry..."  
  
Brooklyn lurched forward, into his friends arms. He was crying openly now. "Broadway...I was so frightened...I'm still frightened. This thing...I want to kill her, but I can't...I'm just so frightened..." he sobbed. Angela and Lexington moved in, all trying to comfort him. Even Bronx muzzled up against him, trying to provide stability. "That's why I can't go. When I see Silhouette again, I'm not going to see the threat that menaces the world, I'm going to see the face of the thing that killed me. And I'll be paralyzed with fear, because I'll know she'll try again," Brooklyn muttered, looking up.  
  
"You don't have to be frightened, Brook. We'll be here for you," Lexington said.  
  
"Ssh. It's all right. You have every right to be afraid, but you don't have to let it conquer your life," Angela soothed.  
  
"And we'll protect you," Broadway exclaimed. "I'LL protect you."  
  
Brooklyn looked up at his friends. "Thanks," he whispered. Then, amid the tears, he smiled. "If anyone walked in right now, they'd probably think we're on a saccharine overdose."  
  
All of them smiled. Brooklyn was back.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
David sat in his office, staring out the window. He couldn't stop thinking about Fox, the pure look of apathy on her face as she blasted him backward into the wall. Oh, Fox. he thought.  
  
Owen Burnett walked in. "The security force has been unable to locate her, sir. It's as if she's vanished off the face of the earth."  
  
"Always the bearer of good news, aren't you, Owen," David sighed.  
  
Owen frowned. "Sir...Mr. Xanatos...I wish there was more that I could do. But whatever it is that has affected Mrs. Xanatos, it has absolute control. Even if I was to become Puck, Silhouette has apparently become more powerful than Oberon himself. I believe the only way to save her is to use the ring."  
  
"And seeing as there's only four gargoyles in the city who can do that, we'd better hope they make the right decision," Xanatos muttered.  
  
He stood up. "In the meantime, I think we should focus on protecting Alexander." Owen nodded in silent agreement. "How can this sickness be transmitted?"  
  
Owen thought. "From what we've seen, a subverted person can infect someone in visual range simply by concentrating upon it."  
  
Xanatos frowned. "Then we have to make sure they don't get the change to be in visual range. I want total screens done on anybody in the building. anybody. That includes Detective Maza, the gargoyles, and me and you. Also, if one of us should become infected, then the other must keep him away from Alexander. I am not going to let Silhouette take my son like she took my wife."  
  
Owen nodded. "Also, perhaps we should work on repairing the force field we used against Oberon. If worse does indeed come to worse."  
  
Xanatos nodded. "We can try. Research says that it could take another few weeks to repair it. But still, it's best to be prepared," He turned to Owen. "Tell me honestly, Owen, are you afraid?"  
  
Owen nodded. "More so than I ever have been in my life. And believe me when I say that I've been around for quite a long time."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Goliath, Hudson, Elisa and Matt stood outside, in the courtyard. "I thought he was gone," Hudson muttered in disbelief.  
  
"Me too. To think that the only reason he's alive now is because of a nine hundred year old prophecy..." Elisa shook. She turned to Goliath. "We were living witnesses to a deus ex machina tonight, Goliath, you know."  
  
Goliath growled. "I know. And I do not like it."  
  
"What do you mean?" Elisa blinked.  
  
Goliath blinked. "I do not mean that I don't trust Ariel. His reviving Brooklyn completely erased any doubts in my mind. It's this situation...with Silhouette. How six gargoyles are to be expected to stop an evil so intense is incomprehensible."  
  
"Hey. Those four are resilient. They were trained by the best," Elisa smiled, indicating Goliath and Hudson"  
  
"Yes...but..."  
  
"You want to go with them if they go," Matt filled in, still rubbing his head.  
  
"Exactly. Being forced to remain on the homefront is a position that often leaves one anxious," Hudson explained.  
  
"That's not all, though, is it," Elisa concluded.  
  
Goliath shook his head. "When Brooklyn died tonight, I kept thinking of the massacre at Wyvern all those centuries ago. Of how I lost most of my clan. I thought that I would see it happen again tonight."  
  
"You were afraid."  
  
"Yes," Goliath sighed. "And now, I fear not only for them, but for us as well. This evil must be stopped, but I am concerned that before it is, you, or Hudson, or myself will be subverted. If I were to lose myself, there would be no telling what Silhouette would force me to do to you."  
  
Elisa nodded. "We'll just have to watch out for each other."  
  
Goliath frowned, looking towards the already lightening sky. " I hope that will be enough."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"I'm still a little apprehensive," Brooklyn stated. "But you're all right. I'm still frightened, and that's not going to change, but what you said about having to protect, and being needed...it makes sense."  
  
"Fine. But you still don't want to go, do you," Lexington asked. Brooklyn shook his head.  
  
"Brooklyn..." Broadway began, but Brooklyn hushed him.  
  
"I have to go, though. The only way I'll get over my fear is to confront it. Besides, what kind of a leader would I be if I let my fears get in the way of my judgement?" Brooklyn sighed, not entirely convinced himself.  
  
"Good. It's unanimous then," Angela exclaimed. "Just in time for sunrise."  
  
The five gargoyles in the room looked out at the window, simultaneously. As the sun rose, the gargoyles froze in stone. For the first time in eight hours, Brooklyn looked peaceful.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
When the sun set the next evening, the four younger gargoyles awoke with yawns and crashes. Within five minutes, Goliath and Hudson entered. Brooklyn stood up, all physical traces of his ordeal the night before vanished.  
  
"Is Elisa coming?" Broadway asked.  
  
Goliath shook his head. "She couldn't. She had to have a meeting with her captain. She told me last night. She also said that whatever decision the four of you came to, she supports it."  
  
At that moment, Xanatos and Owen walked in. "Good evening," Xanatos greeted, looking haggard.  
  
Suddenly, a flash of light shone, and Ariel materialized. "Have you reached a decision?" he asked, cutting directly to the chase. Brooklyn looked at the others.  
  
"You tell him, Brook," Lexington encouraged.  
  
"Yes, we have," Brooklyn said.  
  
"And...?"  
  
Brooklyn sighed, his voice sounding reluctant. "We're going."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Avalon  
  
Silhouette watched the spectacle from Titania's Mirror. Scowling, she waved, and the mirror's image vanished.  
  
"So, they're going for it, are they?" Silhouette asked herself, in anger.  
  
She turned to the mirror. "Then let them come. They'll find it a most enlightening quest," She thought of the prophecy's line that forbade her from using magic against them. What was it the Weird Sisters had often said about Oberon's law? "The rule that cannot be broken can surely be bent," Silhouette echoed. She laughed hollowly.  
  
She turned to a small chest on a table. She opened it, and removed a silvery arc of metal. One of the six pieces of Oberon's Ring.  
  
"Yes. Bent, indeed," Silhouette frowned. She put the fragment back in the box, shut it, and stalked out of the room.  
  
************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************  
  
Coming soon...Part Two of "Shadowplay" - "And Then There Were Six"  
  
The travelers arrive in British Columbia, to find the fifth gargoyle, and must convince her to join them. Then, they travel to Avalon, to find Ophelia and the first piece of the ring. But there are a few surprises in store for them there...  
  
Comments? Suggestions? Praises? Flames? Write! whitbourne@hotmail.com  
  
************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************  
  
LYRICS (Just so you don't think I'm responsible)  
  
"Give Me One Reason" sung by Tracy Chapman. From the CD "New Beginning." 


End file.
